


Take It If You Want It

by lasersheith



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Irresponsible use of alcohol, Light Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, PINING KEITH, Slow Burn, side pairing: allurance, side pairing: hidge, side pairing: mattor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-18
Updated: 2018-08-18
Packaged: 2019-06-22 00:15:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 57,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15569490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lasersheith/pseuds/lasersheith
Summary: Keith and Hunk make New Year’s Resolutions to finally tell their respective crushes how they’ve felt for years. Hunk takes all of 3 minutes, but Keith needs… a little longer.Birthday mishaps, misunderstandings, self discovery, exciting new job opportunities, minor blackmail… a lot can happen in a year. Surely the perfect moment for a years-overdue love confession fits in there somewhere?





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoy this fic as much as I enjoyed writing it <3 
> 
> Title taken from the song ["Such a Simple Thing" by Ray Lamontagne](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjSUmVKkG90)

_ Prologue: New Year’s Eve _

It was all Hunk’s fault. There wasn’t a lot in his life he could say that about- Hunk was a good friend, and usually made Keith’s life a whole lot better for being in it, but right then he regretted the day they ever met. “Come on, Keith, what was your resolution last year? I know you made one, don’t be a party pooper!” He called cheerfully. 

Keith gritted his teeth. “It’s stupid and embarrassing. I’m not talking about it.” It was a terrible feeling, having every eye in their small circle of friends staring at him in deep concern. 

A familiar comforting hand planted down on his shoulder and squeezed gently. “Alright, let’s move on. Keith doesn’t have to share if he doesn’t want to.” Keith looked to his right and smiled in silent thanks, his heart fluttering at Shiro’s smile.  _ God you have no idea how much I want to  _ Keith thought to himself as Shiro looked back to the group. “My resolution was to open up my gym! It’s been going great and I’m really looking forward to everything the new year is gonna bring!” Several congratulations petered out around the group as everyone took sips of their drinks. “How about you, Allura?” Shiro’s hand stayed on his shoulder as he struggled hard to listen to the rest of his friend’s successes and failures. 

It all started almost exactly a year ago...

_ Last New Year’s Eve: Just before midnight _

“Come on, man. I’ll make you a deal.” Hunk slurred his words as he looked the wrong Keith in the eyes. Maybe pregaming the New Year’s Eve party hadn’t been Hunk’s best move. Keith nodded, or attempted to at least. He’d maybe also pregamed a bit too much. “I… will go up to Pidge right now… and tell her that I love ‘er.” He giggled a little, setting Keith off in his own giggle-fit. “If you… if you go tell Shiro.” 

Keith’s smile faded instantly. The statement shattered his buzz and felt like a slap of icy water across his face. “Hunk… you know I can’t.” He squeaked out. 

“Keith, Keith… you’re killin’ me.” Hunk groaned. “Face it, man. Pidge? Way scarer...ier than Shiro. You can do it.” He held up his fingers in an “ok” gesture. 

Keith batted Hunk’s fingers down. “Not tonight… later.” He grumbled.

Hunk stuck out his tongue and blew a raspberry into the air. “You said that like… Like… five years ago.” He countered.

“Yeah…” Keith conceded with a frown. “But this is different. This year, I’m for sure.” He made a fist and held it next to his chest. “I’m gonna do it.” 

Hunk frowned at him, unimpressed. 

“I’ll… I’ll... make it my New Year’s Resolution!” Keith said, raising his voice defensively.   


Hunk nodded enthusiastically. “There ya go! We can do this!” He held out his hand for Keith to shake. It took a few tries for their hands to actually connect.  

As they solidified their plans, Shiro walked up from the basement stairs, his own cheeks rosy from booze. “What are you guys shaking on?” 

Shiro’s tie was tied around his head because Lance had seen it in an anime once and begged him to do it. Keith couldn’t help but grin at how adorable he was.  

Hunk blinked a few times. “I love Pidge!” He shouted back at Shiro. 

Shiro cracked up. “Uh, duh! What else is new?” 

“He’s gonna go tell her,” Keith started, swallowing hard. “Or, uh, Or he has to jump in the pool with all his clothes on at midnight.” Keith stammered out, hopefully covering for Shiro’s next question. 

Hunk nodded emphatically. Shiro furrowed his brows in concern. “Isn’t that something you should probably tell her when you’re sober? It’s kind of a big deal.” 

Hunk shook his head back and forth. “Nope, too scary. Gotta be drunk. She’ll forgive me.” All three of them laughed and staggered from the kitchen over to the dining room-turned beer pong arena where the rest of their friends were. 

Pidge and Matt were involved in a heated game against Lotor and Allura as Lance cheered on the sidelines. Lotor was playing dirty, as usual, and had Matt very distracted. 

“Matticus! Control thine thirst! We’re so close to winning!” Pidge said, hip checking Matt rather roughly.

Lotor was leaning against the table, shirt unbuttoned to an obscene degree, twirling the end of his hair around a finger. Matt was nearly drooling. “I can’t do it, Pigeon. He’s… too powerful…” The small white ball between his fingers shook in his trembling hand. 

Pidge groaned. “Mathery why are you like this! Just take the shot! It’s our last cup! YOU CAN DO THIS.” She shouted, slapping him in the shoulder. 

“Yes, I believe in you,  _ Matthew _ .” Lotor practically purred from his perch on the corner of the table. Allura had to put her hand over her mouth to stifle her giggles as Lance wolf whistled and made a few less than savory gestures.

Matt sighed deeply and looked up at the ceiling. “Fuck.” He whispered as he looked back down and took the shot. It went wide. Pidge swatted at his shoulder some more as Allura grinned. 

Lotor straightened back up immediately. “Matt’s still distracted, go for the bounce.” He said quietly. She nodded decisively and took the shot. 

The ball bounced once and landed in the front of the two cups, Pidge’s arms were too short to swat it away after it hit the table the first time. Lotor and Allura jumped into the air for a high five before Lance pushed his way between them to congratulate Allura on her victory with a sloppy kiss. 

The Holts groaned in unison and each picked up a cup. They clinked them together and chugged down the cheap beer. “Sorry, Pidge.” 

She crossed her arms and shook her head. “Next time Hunk’s my partner.” 

But Matt didn’t even hear her answer, he’d already made his way across the table and grabbed Lotor’s arm, pulling him towards the stairs to the basement. Pidge watched them go with an exaggerated grimace. 

“KATIE!” Hunk screamed. She looked up at him in shock as he barreled towards her. “I wanna be your partner too!” He exclaimed pulling her into a bone-crushing hug.

She let out a squeak. “Hunk. You’re. Crushing. Me.” She said, slapping her trapped hands at his torso. He put her down with an apologetic grin which she returned. “First rule of beer pong partners, don’t squish each other.” 

“No, no, no… Not beer pong.” He said, his seriousness comical in his drunken state. He put a hand on each of her shoulders and leaned down to look her in the eyes. “Everything partners.” 

She narrowed her eyes at him. “What are you saying?” 

He teared up a little, clutching his hands to his chest and spinning around. “I’m in looooove, Pidge. I got it bad. For you!” 

She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Come on, buddy, let’s get you to bed.” She grabbed his arm and headed for the stairs leading up to her bedroom. 

“We can’t GO TO BED, I haven’t taken you on a date yet!” He protested, planting his feet. 

She growled in frustration. “ _ We _ are not going to bed.  _ You _ are going to bed, because  _ you _ are shit-faced. If you still love me in the morning we can talk about it.” 

Hunk nodded enthusiastically and allowed himself to be drug up the stairs. 

“I can’t believe I waited like four years for this disaster.” She grumbled under her breath as they left.

Shiro laughed and turned to Keith. “Wow, that’s all of our friends paired up now, I guess.” 

Keith’s stomach churned with anxiety and vodka-laced jello. “Haha… yep.” He crossed his arms and bit back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

He looked back into the dining room as he tried to come up with something more to say. Allura and Lance had already gotten a jump start on the clock, Lance’s back was to the wall behind the beer pong table where Allura had pinned him, celebrating her victory over the Holts. Keith quickly turned his head back to Shiro and they locked eyes as the countdown started on the TV.  Shiro was smiling softly at Keith as the announcer started at 10. 

Keith felt like he could hardly breathe as Shiro stepped closer, the seconds ticking away. As the ball dropped and everyone on the TV cheered, he pulled Keith into a tight hug. “I’m so glad you’re my best friend, Keith. There’s nobody else I’d wanna start the year off with.” 

The tie still slung around Shiro’s forehead hit Keith in the face as he returned the hug. “Me too, buddy. Me too.” 

They pulled apart and shared another smile as the celebration on the TV died down. 

Looking around, Shiro wrinkled his nose. “Well, looks like our options are: Hunk’s snoring, Matt and Lotor doing it, or Allura and Lance doing it. Dealer’s choice.” He said with a laugh. 

Keith groaned. “Hunk’s snoring, for sure.” 

They laughed together as they headed upstairs to Pidge’s bedroom where Hunk was out cold on one of the air mattresses on her floor. Pidge was laying on her bed, typing out a bunch of happy new year messages on her phone. 

Shiro climbed onto the other air mattress and stole one of the pillows that Hunk wasn’t using, tossing it down by his feet. Keith climbed on and put the filched pillow under his head, turning his back to Shiro’s legs. “Night, Shiro.” 

“G’night, Keith. Happy New Year.” Shiro said with a yawn and a smile.

Keith yawned as well. “Yeah, you too.” He tried to sound cheerful, but the ache in the pit of his stomach made him miss the mark.

..

Keith woke up the next morning regretting every decision he’d ever made. Shiro’s foot was wrapped around his shoulder, directly in his face, his head was pounding, and his 11:30 pm nachos were threatening to make a sudden reappearance. He pushed Shiro's leg forward, which only resulted in spinning him around and ending up half on top of Keith, almost doing the splits. 

Shiro woke up with a moan. “Ugh, what time is it?” He mumbled, not even making an attempt to get back into a more comfortable position. 

_ Not exactly how I would have picked to have Shiro’s crotch in my face,  _ Keith thought derisively. He tried to look at his phone, but the brightness was turned up to approximately the luminosity of the sun. “Ok Google, what time is it?” He muttered grumpily. 

“It’s eleven twenty two AM.” The robotic voice replied. 

They both groaned as they scrambled out of bed. The doctors Holt would be back at 3pm and expected the house to be cleaned up. “Pidge.” Keith muttered as he shook one of her legs. “It's almost 11:30, we gotta start cleaning up or your parents are gonna be pissed.” 

She stirred and grumbled as she grabbed her glasses off of her nightstand. Hunk was still snoring away on the air mattress. “Ok, let's leave Hunk here. That's gonna be really awkward.” She muttered as she scurried off the bed. 

Keith nodded and the three of them headed down the stairs to the living room, where Allura and Lance had made themselves quite at home. Shiro and Keith immediately covered their eyes as they entered, and Pidge moved to grab a blanket from the couch. “Yeah, go get Matt and Lotor.” she grumbled. 

Keith and Shiro moved to the basement stairs, their vision honed in on the floor as they walked. Pidge tossed the blanket over Allura and kicked at her leg where she slept curled around Lance on the floor. “Allura, wake up.”

Allura shot up and immediately clutched the blanket to her chest. “Uhh oops?” She said with an apologetic grin as she grabbed her discarded clothing from around living room. 

The scene wasn’t much better in the basement for Shiro and Keith. Matt’s parents had kept his old bedroom as he’d left it when he moved out, and in that corner bed, Lotor was holding Matt against his chest as they slept. Thankfully they'd at least had the foresight to sleep with a blanket covering their lower halves. 

Shiro brought a finger up to his lips in a shush motion and Keith stopped, grinning as he waited to see what Shiro was planning. Shiro pulled out his phone and turned the volume as loud as it would go.  _ They’re Taking the Hobbits to Isengard _ blared over the small speakers and both sleeping men jumped up in surprise. Lotor glared and immediately moved to launch a pillow at Shiro’s head. Shiro was laughing too hard to notice so Keith stepped in and caught it before it could make contact. 

Shiro pressed the pause button and looked up at Keith, still laughing. “Thanks, man! My hero!” He held up a hand for a high five, which Keith returned with a laugh. 

Shiro and Keith headed back upstairs so the grumpy couple could dress, happy to find Allura and Lance fully clothed and helping Pidge with the disaster area that had once been a beautiful and spotless dining room. Moving to the kitchen, they each grabbed a bottle of water, chugged as much of it as they could stand, and started to clean as well. 

Hunk stumbled down into the kitchen around 12:45, groggily getting a drink of water to stave off the worst of his hangover before grabbing a trash bag to help Keith dispose of all the cans, bottles, paper plates, and various other evidence of the night's debauchery. “So, did you talk to Shiro?” He asked in a stage whisper. 

Keith looked around to make sure all of their friends were out of earshot. “No, you heard him last night. He’d be mad if I told him when I was drunk.” It was a thin excuse, and Hunk saw right through it. 

“Yeah, yeah, true. I totally get that.” Hunk started, in the way that Keith knew meant he was going to follow on with  _ but you're an idiot and here's why. _ “Buuuut, you're sober now.” 

Slamming a bottle just a bit too hard into the bag he was holding, Keith looked over as menacingly as he could muster with a killer headache and a queasy stomach. “I haven't showered or brushed my teeth and just being awake makes me wanna puke.” He deadpanned. 

Hunk rolled his eyes and went back to cleaning. “Ok, ok. Tomorrow works, too.” He tried to sneakily look back over to see Keith's reaction. 

Keith just sighed and slumped his shoulders. “Maybe… maybe when we’re planning your birthday party.” Keith mumbled under his breath. He'd already agreed to help Shiro with the details, it would be as good of a time as any. “Whatever, don't you have your own crisis to solve?” He asked, pointedly changing the subject. 

The deflection tactic worked like a charm, Hunk stiffened up immediately and groaned. “Yeah, Pidge seemed super weirded out and she said she wanted to talk once everyone leaves. I'm freaking out, man.” 

Keith shook his head and pulled out his keys. “You guys can talk while you take all the stuff to the dump.” His beat up red pickup truck was his pride and joy, despite the fact that it was only worth about $800, generously speaking. “Just… put a tarp down or something.” Hunk looked over at him in outrage and horror. “For the  _ trash,  _ god.” Keith sputtered. “And for the record, no one is  _ ever  _ allowed to have sex in my truck.” He cursed under his breath at the thought. 

Hunk laughed and took the keys. “Duly noted. Not that Pidge would be game for that anyway, just, you know, additionally for the record.” He said smugly. Keith’s only answer was to glare before getting back to work.

The rest of the cleanup didn’t take very long between the 8 of them, and soon Keith and Shiro were helping Hunk load the trash into the tarped truck bed while Pidge waited in the passenger seat. “You got this, buddy.” Keith whispered to him with a nudge to his elbow. 

Hunk looked pointedly between Keith and Shiro and whispered, much less quietly, “Yeah, ditto.” But before Keith could respond, Hunk was hopping into the driver’s seat and slamming the door shut. 

Shiro raised an eyebrow and looked over at the truck “What was that all about?” Shiro asked. 

Keith shook his head. “Hunk’s just being dumb. It’s cold, let’s go inside.” Keith deflected.  _ Smooth, Kogane, real smooth.  _ He thought bitterly to himself.

..

By the time Pidge and Matt’s parents got home, everyone was piled around the TV in the once again immaculate living room. Pidge sat against the armrest of the loveseat, her legs in Hunk’s lap as he dozed contentedly. Lotor was in the recliner, Matt sprawled on top of him like a cat, dead asleep. And Lance and Allura were snuggled around each other on one half of the couch, leaving the other half for Shiro and Keith. 

Keith made sure to leave extra room between himself and Shiro. He wasn't really watching the movie they'd put on, but was instead forlornly gazing around the room at all of his friends in their various piles of affection.  _ Come on, if  _ **_Lance_ ** _ can get with someone like Allura, absolutely nobody is out of  _ **_my_ ** _ league. _ Keith thought.  _ Not even Shiro. _

Shiro's arm was laid over the back of the couch, resting on the soft material just above Keith’s shoulder. It would have been the easiest thing in the world to lean in and rest his head on Shiro's broad chest. 

Keith could even smell the sharp scent of hastily applied deodorant and small spritz of cologne Shiro had applied when they were done cleaning. Nobody smelled great after a night of drunken shenanigans and a busy early afternoon of undoing the destruction of said shenanigans, but Keith didn't mind in the slightest. It was just Shiro. 

A lot of things were just Shiro. He had sketchpad after sketchpad filled with things that were just Shiro. He was reasonably sure he could draw the man in the dark.  _ You have a whole week to figure out how to tell him,  _ Keith reassured himself as he tried to inconspicuously stare a hole through the side of Shiro’s jaw. Shiro turned away from the movie and looked over at him, humming in question.

Thankfully, before Keith had to make up a reason why he’d been  _ leering,  _ Sam popped his head into the living room and waved. “You kids have a good time?” He asked cheerfully. Several affirmations, grunts, and thumbs up littered the room. His eyes went wide as he saw his daughter on the couch. Pointing a finger and wiggling it between the two of them, he asked, “When did that finally happen?” 

Shiro and Keith laughed at the same time. “Just before midnight. It was hilarious.” Shiro answered, grinning over at the pair. Hunk hadn't woken up, but Pidge's cheeks were flaming red as she stared determinedly at the television, ignoring her father. 

“Colleen! You owe me 10 dollars!” He called as he bolted towards the stairs to the master bedroom, and everyone in the living room broke out in laughter, even Pidge. 

And with that, Keith realized, instead of their group being half couples and half singles, he and Shiro had just become the only two eligible bachelors. It was going to be a long year if he didn’t say something soon.


	2. January

Keith sat close to Shiro on the old, beat up leather couch in Shiro's tiny living room as they planned the annual Hunkstravaganza. “So I talked to Lotor and Allura already, and they're gonna rent out the banquet hall.” Shiro grabbed the mouse and scooted closer to the laptop perched on the coffee table. 

Keith swallowed hard as their knees touched and tried to focus as Shiro made circles over the model on the screen with his mouse. “I was wondering if we should do two banners and hang them up here and here, or if it would be better to make a huge one and put it along the window, here.” Shiro concluded, turning to him with a soft smile. “You're the aesthetics guy, and the one making them. What do you think?” 

_ I think you're amazing and I love how much you care and try so hard to make everyone happy  _ Keith didn't say. “Definitely the huge one. He'll see it right when he walks in.” He replied, returning Shiro's smile. 

The hand that reached over and patted his knee might as well have been made of fire for how hot it burned at the contact. “Awesome, good call.” Shiro replied before returning his arm to his own lap. Keith missed the smouldering weight as soon as it was gone. “I was thinking champagne since it's his 21st? I mean I know he started drinking freshman year, but it's symbolic. Right?” 

“Huh?” Keith snapped himself out his thoughts at Shiro's question. 

Shiro laughed at his confused expression. 

“Oh, oh. Yeah champagne’s good. He likes bubbly stuff. Pretty pricey, though.” Keith answered. He decided to save himself the torture and scooted back, adding a gap between them on the couch. 

Shiro's face twitched just a little, just enough that Keith wondered if he made the wrong call. Maybe Shiro was just waiting for him to make a move?  _ I could just tell him, right now,  _ Keith licked his lips, about to say something, but Shiro continued talking.

“Yeah, Allura and Lotor said they'd buy everything since they're too busy to help much otherwise, but there are 25 people on the list. Is that 5 bottles? 8? I'm not a champagne guy.” He finished with another chuckle. 

Keith’s pulse thrummed in his neck as he let the adrenaline of the almost-confession die down. “Yeah better leave that up to the expert.” Keith answered with his own chuckle.  _ Just hold it together for 5 more minutes, god,  _ he thought as he let out a shaky breath.

Shiro nodded. “Yeah, Lotor will know.” He clicked a few other things on the model he had up. “Do you think Pidge wants to do anything special?” 

Keith shrugged. “They've only been together for like a week.” 

...And what a long week it had been. Keith was happy for Hunk and glad he'd finally mustered up the guts to tell Pidge how he felt, but he was still jealous as he studied the side of Shiro's face bathed softly in the afternoon glow through the small window.  _ Yeah, I gotta do it soon. Today. _ Keith resolved.

Shiro snickered again. “Yeah, but they've basically been married for like 10 years!” 

It made Keith laugh, too. Shiro wasn't wrong. They'd been fast friends and as they grew more comfortable with each other they'd bickered good-naturedly like an old married couple. “Yeah, fair point.” Keith replied. 

He and Shiro never bickered. He couldn't even fathom bickering with Shiro. They got along like two halves to the same whole. Half the time he didn't even need to finish his sentence and Shiro just knew what he meant. 

“Ok, so, since I'm absolutely forbidden from baking anything that isn't spiced chicken by itself in a dish, I think that leaves Lance in charge of the cake.” Shiro murmured as he added notes to the file. 

“I'll yell at him when I get home.” Keith said as he crossed his ankles, stretching out his legs.

Shiro clicked through a couple of his notes and frowned at the screen. “I forgot to write down what kind he likes.” He swore under his breath. 

Keith waved his hand in the air. “Yellow cake, vanilla frosting.” He replied confidently. 

“Ah. I should have known you’d know.” Shiro said with a soft chuckle. Shiro’s laugh always made Keith smile. “You gonna decorate it?” He looked over at Keith with a smirk. 

They'd let Lance try to decorate Allura's birthday cake last year. Eventually it got to the point where they had to scrape the mountains of frosting off and try again. It was nearly a disaster, but she'd ended up loving it. 

“Yeah, I'll handle it.” Keith replied with a smirk of his own. 

Shiro scrolled down a little to the end of the page. “I feel kinda lame about my present.” He admitted with a pained expression. 

Keith perked up and put his hand on Shiro’s shoulder. “I’m sure he’ll love it, Shiro.” Keith reassured. “What’d you get him?”

“I found a pan just like the one Lance wrecked trying to make deep dish pizza in.” Shiro said with an awkward chuckle.

Keith clutched his stomach as he laughed. “Oh man, the one he thought was cast iron? With the plastic handle?” 

Shiro nodded and laughed as well. “Hunk was so mad, he loved that pan.” 

“See? It’s perfect.” Keith said quietly with a soft smile. “I’m sure nobody even remembered but you. Hunk’ll be so surprised.”  

Shiro blushed, waving a hand dismissively at the praise. “What did you get him?” He asked, changing the subject. Keith smiled at how flustered Shiro always got over compliments.

Keith pulled out his phone, scrolling to a picture. “I found these oven mitts, the cool kind with fingers, and dyed them yellow, then printed Cookie Monster all over ‘em.” He turned his phone around and beamed with pride as Shiro’s eyebrows shot up.

“Wow, those look amazing, Keith!” Shiro looked at him with a big grin. “You really went all out.” 

Keith shrugged as he put his phone away. “Yeah, well. Hunk’s really cool, he deserves it.” He mumbled out, suddenly shy under Shiro’s adoring gaze. 

“Yeah, he sure does…” Shiro replied quietly. Keith was about to ask what was wrong before Shiro spoke up again. “Alright! Party planning session officially adjourned,” he said with a grin as he saved off his files and shut the lid to his laptop. “You wanna stick around for a beer?” He asked as he got up and headed towards the kitchen.

Keith took a deep, steadying breath.  _ Ok, you got this, Keith, you’re the boss,  _ he psyched himself up as he stood. “Yeah, sure.” He replied, cringing at the way his voice cracked with his nerves. 

As he walked into the kitchen, Keith heard the clink and hiss as Shiro uncapped two beers. Shiro’s smile as he handed the bottle over had one side of Keith’s mouth lilting up as well. “So, there’s actually something else I wanted to talk to you about.” Keith started, taking a swig for courage. 

Shiro leaned against the counter as he took a drink of his own. “Sure, what’s on your mind?” 

Keith took a deep breath. “Well, it’s about that bet Hunk and I were shaking on.” Keith started, picking at the label nervously. “It was…” He stared up at Shiro’s inscrutable expression, breathing a little hard as he tried to force the words out. “Shiro, I-” Keith swore under his breath as his phone started ringing. He looked down at the screen and grumbled. “Sorry, it’s Lance. House’s probably on fire.” 

Settling back against the counter, Shiro gestured to the living room.  “Yeah, of course. Go ahead.” He paused and took another long swig of his beer. He busied himself milling about the kitchen, putting dishes away and tidying, while Keith answered the call. 

“What do you want, Lance?” Keith gritted out. He regretted asking almost immediately. “Are you serious?” He rolled his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. “Ok, turn off the main water valve, I’ll be home in ten minutes.” 

Keith swore again as he stuffed his phone back into his pocket and set his beer on the counter. 

Shiro looked over at him in concern. “That didn’t sound good.” 

Keith sighed. “Lance flooded the bathroom somehow, I don’t even want to know. Landlord’s gonna kill us.” He crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at the floor. “Sorry, we should probably finish talking about this later…” Keith trailed off, still not meeting Shiro’s face.

He closed his eyes as he felt Shiro’s hand squeeze his shoulder.  _ So close… _ “Whenever you’re ready, Keith.” Keith looked up as Shiro spoke and they shared a charged smile. 

“Yeah, thanks.” He cleared his throat at the scratchy sound of his own voice. His heart was still pounding in chest as he turned and walked out the door. 

..

Avoiding Shiro for a week under the pretense of needing to get ready to start school and finish the banner for Hunk’s party had been wholly cowardice, Keith would freely admit. He’d justified it by spending far too much time organizing that semester’s supplies and making sure the banner was perfect, but really, he’d chickened out. 

The banner looked great hanging up over the large window, though, with its party hats and streamers and little cartoon Hunks holding cakes. Hunk had clapped him over the shoulder and pulled him into a big hug as soon as he walked in. “Keith! Look at that, man! It’s so great!” He gestured with his free hand.

Keith laughed and returned the embrace before squirming away. “No problem, big guy. It’s what you deserve.” He said with a wink. 

Shiro caught his eye as he looked past Hunk, toward the snack table. He was standing there next to Matt and Lotor, grimacing at the awful taste of the champagne in his hand and looking right at Keith.

Face instantly red, Keith turned back to Hunk, who was still going on about how great the party looked. “Ah, yeah. Shiro did an awesome job. He even 3D modeled the banquet hall to prescreen all the decorations.” He said with a fond smile. 

“Whaaaat? No way. What a dork.” Hunk laughed. “So uh, speaking of Shiro…” His voice suddenly took on a conspiratorial tone. “You know what I really want for my birthday?” He wiggled his eyebrows at Keith. 

Keith frowned. “I'm gonna talk to him. I already told him I'd stay late and help clean up.” He grumbled. 

Hunk clapped him on the back and pushed him towards the snack table and Shiro. “No time like the present!” He shouted as he abandoned Keith to go talk to Pidge, who had just arrived. 

Keith stuffed his hands in his pockets and shuffled over. True to form, Matt was already halfway drunk and the party had barely started, Lotor egging him on and Shiro cautioning him gently. “Keith, you're the tie breaker!” Matt called as Keith approached, ready to hand him a glass of champagne. “Is it trashy to get drunk at your sister's boyfriend’s birthday party?” The sincerity with which he asked had Keith struggling to maintain his composure. 

“Uh, kinda, yeah.” Keith said, taking a sip from the fancy glass and wrinkling his nose at the taste. “How does Hunk drink this stuff?” He handed the glass back to Matt and turned to get a soda, but Shiro already had one in hand for him.  

Keith took the can with a smile and a soft word of thanks. Lotor laughed and took one of the glasses out of Matt's hand. “He has refined tastes.” Lotor answered, sipping at his stolen drink. “But I argue, Hunk was your friend before he was dating your sister. Therefore, getting drunk at his party is perfectly acceptable and within the bounds of friendship.” 

Shiro sighed and shook his head. “Fine, fine. It's your head if Pidge gets mad at you for ruining her boyfriend's birthday, though.” Shiro cautioned. 

Matt scoffed. “When have I ever ruined a party?” 

Shiro, Lotor, and Keith all started recalling different stories at the same time. Matt held up a hand to stop them. “Point taken.” He conceded, draining his glass and dragging a smirking Lotor off to the mostly empty dance floor. 

It only took a few minutes of Matt drunkenly embarrassing himself while Lotor laughed happily at his side for the rest of the party-goers to join in. Which, left Keith and Shiro alone by the snack table, stuck in awkward limbo in between cheesy pretzel sticks and pigs in a blanket. 

“We could… dance. If you wanted to.” Keith murmured out as they grazed. 

Shiro lifted an eyebrow. “Since when do you dance?” He asked, voice tinted with amusement. 

Keith shrugged. “I don't.” He answered far too quickly.  _ But I would if you wanted to _ was on the tip of his tongue and threatened to spill out, but he shoved it down with another handful of salty carbs. 

Shiro laughed and shook his head. “What's gotten into you lately?” He asked quietly as he grimaced through another sip of sour champagne. 

“Nothing but Lotor’s awful champagne.” Keith defended around his mouthful of pretzel.  

Shiro looked at him suspiciously before setting his glass down. “You know what? Let's dance.” He said after a moment's hesitation.

Keith downed the rest of Lotor’s discarded glass and followed Shiro out to the dance floor near the birthday boy as an upbeat, Top 40 Hit started playing. 

Neither of them were particularly great dancers, but Keith was enjoying himself as they swayed just slightly off-beat together. Hunk kept catching his eye and making stupid faces and gestures between him and Shiro. Keith tried his best to ignore it, but Shiro noticed his gaze shifting and followed it, frowning. 

Shiro’s expression softened. “Hey, are you ok? I know this is probably really hard for you.” 

Keith stilled and looked up him, eyebrow raised. “Why would I not be ok?” 

Keith swallowed hard at the proximity as Shiro stepped closer and continued. “You know, liking someone who has feelings for someone else.” Shiro looked over at Hunk before turning back to Keith. 

Keith’s eyes widened as Shiro spoke.  _ Am I that obvious? Is this him letting me down gently? Did Hunk tell him? Shit… _ Keith licked his lips and opened his mouth a few times to try to speak, but nothing would come out. 

“I’m sure Hunk won’t make it weird, you just have to hang on until it’s not weird for you anymore either.” Shiro consoled with a well-meaning smile. 

Keith shook his head. “What? Hunk? No. I don’t like Hunk. Not like that.” He whispered harshly. 

Lips tilting into a skeptical smile, Shiro stopped dancing and held his hands up. “Yeah, sure. It’s not like you’re always hanging out together,” He started. 

“We’re roommates.” Keith protested, arms crossing over his chest. 

Shiro wasn’t perturbed by the interruption. “Or always pairing up for stuff when we all hang out as a group,” He waited for Keith’s response but Keith just shrugged. “And you know everything about him, including his favorite cake, and drink, and the perfect present for his birthday.” Shiro listed, looking up and over Keith’s shoulder. 

Keith frowned.  _ All of that stuff applies to you, too… _ The words were on the tip of his tongue. 

Shiro looked back at him. “And I’m sure  _ that  _ doesn’t bother you at all,” He gestured with his shoulder over at Pidge standing up on her toes and placing a soft kiss on Hunk’s cheek as they danced. “Because you’ve definitely never wanted to kiss him.” 

Keith’s pulse thrummed in his ears. “I  _ don’t  _ want to kiss Hunk, ok? Drop it!” He grumbled out loud enough that a few people next to them stopped and stared. 

Shiro’s eyes went wide as he stepped back from the shout. Keith’s face turned bright red and he froze on the spot. 

Swooping in from antagonizing Matt, Lance grabbed Hunk’s face in between his hands. “Well I sure do!” He said, placing a sloppy, wet kiss on Hunk’s cheek. 

Everyone turned and laughed at the spectacle as Keith made a hasty retreat. 

“Keith! Wait!” Shiro called at his retreating back. Keith didn’t. 

..

Hunk had been disappointed when he got home hours later, throwing Keith’s door open without knocking and flopping onto the side of his bed where Keith was curled up with his comforter over his head. He hadn’t even taken his shoes off. 

“What happened, man?” Hunk asked quietly. 

Keith groaned and flipped the covers off of his head. “Shiro thinks I like  _ you. _ ” He said miserably. 

Hunk laughed. “I mean, who wouldn’t?” He teased. Keith turned away from him, burying his face again. “Just tell him the truth.”    
  
“I tried!” Keith protested, voice breaking as he half-shouted. 

Hunk sighed and shook his head, poking Keith’s back. “He’s really worried about you, you know.” 

As if to prove Hunk’s point, Keith’s phone buzzed from his desk. Hunk got and up tossed it onto Keith’s bed before leaving, shutting the door just a little too hard. Keith sighed and read the message. “I really didn’t mean to embarrass you, I’m so sorry” was the most recent, with 3 variants on the same theme above it spaced apart about an hour each. 

He sighed as he tried to think of a response. He couldn’t tell Shiro the truth over  _ text, _ that was absurd. Instead, he bit his bottom lip and wrote and deleted a few answers before finally typed, “I’m ok. Didn’t mean to worry you. It’s fine,” and hitting send.  

Shiro responded almost immediately. “Ok. I’m here if you need me.” 

Keith stared at the screen as he considered going to Shiro’s apartment right that moment. His nerves were still shot and he was still reeling from making an idiot of himself in front of Hunk’s entire family and all of their friends so he settled on, “thanks :)” and going back to sleep. 

..

It wasn’t that unusual to go a week or two without seeing much of Shiro after the first of the year. Everyone and their mother made it their resolution to get in shape, so business as a personal trainer was booming. They still texted back and forth, dumb memes or funny things that had happened that day, but nothing about  _ the Hunk incident _ as Keith had taken to calling it. Shiro finally had the evening off a few days after Keith started school again, so Keith dropped by to hang out. 

Shiro was fresh from the shower after his last appointment of the day, hair still wet when he opened the door. “Hey, come on in!” He said, pushing the door open further with his right shoulder. “Perfect timing!” 

Keith smiled uncomfortably as he walked in, trying hard to ignore the fact that Shiro was shirtless and his sweatpants were hanging perfectly so on his hips. Instead, Keith surveyed the living room, glad there wasn’t a pile of laundry in the corner or a stack of take out boxes on the table. Shiro tended to get a bit scatterbrained when work was stressing him out. 

Keith was about to comment on how well Shiro was handling the busy season before he noticed Shiro’s prosthetic sitting next to the charging port but not plugged in. He walked over and attached the charger, smiling as the blue light turned on. 

“Oh, thanks.” Shiro said with a laugh, sitting down on the couch. 

Keith smirked over at him as he took a seat on the other cushion. “No problem. Figured you could use a hand.” He tried hard not to laugh. 

Shiro didn’t bother holding it in. “You’ve been hanging out with Matt too much.” He said, still laughing. 

Keith pulled his phone out of his pocket as Shiro yawned and stretched to keep himself from staring. “So how are you doing with all the overweight soccer moms?” Keith mumbled out as he pretended to pay attention to his twitter feed. 

Shiro chuckled again. “Oh you know, Karen’s doing great. We’re up to 10 reps of 5 pound dumbbells twice a week when she bothers showing up. Except there are 30 of them.” He finished with a groan. 

“At least they’ll all get bored by February. How’s your shoulder?” He asked with a frown and Shiro laid back and winced. 

Shiro scrunched up his nose. “Sore.” He admitted quietly. 

Keith gestured for Shiro to turn around on the couch as he scooted closer and began to dig his fingers into the sore muscles of Shiro’s shoulder and what was left of his upper arm. Shiro always pushed himself hard for his clients, it was one of the things Keith knew made him such a good trainer. 

As he continued massaging, Shiro hummed contentedly, relaxing and rotating his muscles. “Thanks, Keith.” He all but whispered. 

Keith was glad Shiro wasn’t able to see the way he was sure his face turned bright red. “Sure.” He answered just as quietly. 

After a few minutes, Shiro shrugged, a little signal they’d developed over time letting Keith know Shiro’s arm felt better and he could scoot back. It was tempting to keep his hands roving over the expanse of muscles of Shiro’s back instead, but Keith moved away, like he always did. 

Shiro pulled on the t-shirt that was hanging over the arm of the couch next to him and turned to Keith with a sheepish smile. “I hope you don’t think I just asked you over here for that.” He said with a chuckle. 

Keith shrugged. “Be fine if you did.” He replied earnestly. 

Shiro’s cheeks went a little pink and he quickly changed the subject, eyes staring down at the carpet. “I was actually hoping we could talk about what happened at Hunk’s party.” 

Keith sighed. “It’s really not a big deal. We should just drop it.” Keith felt his face heating up again. 

Shiro flattened his palm against his thigh and sighed. “I shouldn’t have brought it up while so many people were around. I’m sorry.” 

Sighing again, Keith pursed his lips trying to figure out how to respond. “It wasn’t…” He trailed off, searching for the words. “It’s ok. Hunk and I talked about it and it’s fine.” He felt the anxiety swirl in his chest again. He didn’t want to have this conversation again. 

Shiro nodded. “Good, that’s…” Shiro looked back up at Keith and smiled, a little sadly. “That’s really good Keith. That was brave of you.” Keith knew Shiro had gotten the wrong idea, but couldn’t think of a way to respond. Unfortunately Shiro didn’t wait for him to figure it out. “Maybe you should try dating around a bit? There are some guys at the gym I could set you up with.” Shiro offered with an awkward smile. 

“No!” Keith protested. “I’m not…” He groaned a little, trying to explain his outburst as Shiro flinched back in response. “School’s too busy right now, I’m not interested in dating some random muscle-head.” He crossed his arms over his chest again. 

Shiro pursed his lips and nodded a few times. “Right. No muscle-heads, got it.” He replied quietly. 

Alarm bells rang in Keith’s head. “No, I mean… I’m sure they’re great guys.” He desperately tried to backtrack. 

Shiro stood up and stretched again. “It’s fine, I get it.” He walked over to the hall closet and pulled a bag out, putting it on the couch between them as he sat back down with an understanding smile. “You clearly don’t wanna talk about this anymore, so I won’t push. Consider this a peace offering.” He pushed the bag closer to Keith. 

Keith narrowed his eyebrows and looked down into the bag. A new set of his favorite pencils, a new sketchbook, and a reference book for drawing sci-fi vehicles were inside. “Shiro… this had to cost a fortune…” He pulled out the sketchbook and ran his hands over the blank first page. “Thank you.” He said quietly. 

Shiro grinned. “The store by the gym was having a big sale and I couldn’t resist. Junior year can be really rough, so I wanted to help you finish strong.” He shrugged. 

“I’ll make you something really cool for your birthday.” Keith promised with a smile. 

Shiro chuckled. “That sounds great.”

Keith frowned at how tired Shiro suddenly sounded. “You should probably get to bed. First client’s at 6, right?” 

Shiro grimaced at his question. “Yeah, I probably should.” Shiro admitted. Keith stood up and shouldered the bag, Shiro followed him to the door. “Are we ok?” He asked quietly as Keith stepped out into the hall.  

Keith turned, giving him a lopsided smile and mock-salute. “Always.” 

Shiro’s face brightened back up, even if his eyes still looked tired. “Good. Drive safe.” He waited for Keith to promise that he would before shutting the door. 

Keith sighed as he tossed the bag into his passenger seat.  _ Once the new year rush at the gym calms down.  _ He promised himself, sliding his truck into gear.  _ I’ll tell him then. _


	3. February

Forever Alone Day, or as most people called it, Valentine’s day, was honestly one of Keith’s favorite times of the year. He had a 6 pack of cheap beer, his laptop playing Netflix in the background, and the TV all to himself so he could nostalgia-run Halo 2 all night long while his roommates were out with their girlfriends. 

Since freshman year of highschool, Hunk had been his Forever Alone Day buddy. The customary gifts had been the ugliest stuffed animals they could find for $5 or less, the weirdest candy at the grocery store, and/or the most depressing greeting card on sale at Walgreens. It was a bit of a bummer to be actually spending Forever Alone Day alone for the first time in years, but he knew Hunk was having a great time with Pidge and couldn’t fault him for that. 

Besides, Keith was never one to let his precious alone time go unappreciated. 

He ripped open a bag of chocolate chip cookies with no remorse during a cutscene. As long as he finished the whole thing and hid the evidence before Hunk got home, he’d be spared the lecture about homemade being so much better than store bought and having to justify the perceived slight against Hunk’s culinary prowess. He laughed as he shot a grunt and confetti rained down across his screen, jumping when the doorbell rang a moment later. 

“If this is someone trying to sell me something, I’m gonna freak out.” Keith mumbled to himself as he threw open the door with a glare. Shiro’s smiling face on the other side had him blinking in shock and confusion. “Hey, what’s uh?” Keith trailed off shaking his head. “I thought you had to work?” He stammered as he stepped back and held the door open for Shiro to step inside. 

Shiro laughed as he walked in. “Pidge mentioned that she felt bad for stealing Hunk from you tonight, so I figured I’d fill in.” He held up the flowers and chocolate he was holding with a shrug. “She said you guys would get each other stuff and be nerds all night, so…” 

Keith laughed and motioned for Shiro to follow him to the kitchen. “Usually the presents are weird stuff, but I appreciate the attempt.” He filled a big cup with water and set it out on the counter, putting the flowers Shiro handed over inside. “Beer?” He asked, opening the fridge in anticipation of Shiro saying yes. 

“Sounds good.” Shiro answered distractedly, looking into the living room. “Halo 2?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Keith smiled, popping the lid off on the side of the counter and handing the bottle over. “I just started, wanna switch to co-op?” 

Shiro cringed a little. “I didn’t bring my custom controller.” He said apologetically, holding up his right hand and wiggling his fingers. “I don’t wanna accidentally break yours again.” He laughed, guilty smile on his face. 

Keith waved a hand in the air dismissively. “Hunk’s fault, he can buy a new one if you do.” Keith answered with a smirk. 

Shiro laughed and picked up the spare controller on the charging station, moving Keith’s laptop to the coffee table before plopping down where it had been. “Alright, let’s show the flood who’s boss!” He half-shouted, already leaning over in his seat with his elbows resting over his knees. 

Watching Shiro get way too into video games was one of Keith’s favorite things and always made playing so much more fun. Before he even realized it, he was on the edge of his seat too. 

“Jackal up on that ridge!” Shiro called, turning his character to take out a few more enemies. 

Keith stuck his tongue out between his teeth and wiggled his joystick to take out the sniper. “Shiro! Elite, 3 o’clock!” Keith shouted, turning to open fire on the creature headed right towards Shiro. 

The rest of the level went in a similar fashion. At a lull Keith smiled to himself, he loved what a great team they made no matter what they were doing. Shiro’s eyes were still fixed straight forward at the screen, intense glare on his face as he tossed a grenade into the last small group of enemies to finish the level. Keith laughed at Shiro’s excited whoop and stood up to stretch. “Need another beer?” He asked as Shiro drained the last bit of his first one. 

Shiro hummed in thought. “Yeah, I can do one more. I don’t want to end up too tipsy to drive home, I didn’t bring my charger.” He said with a chuckle. 

“Wish they weren’t so expensive, I’d get one to keep around since you’re over so much.” Keith replied, grabbing the empty bottles and bag of cookies they’d reduced to crumbs. 

Shiro smiled up at him in appreciation and it made Keith’s heart start pounding again.  _ It  _ **_is_ ** _ Valentine’s day…  _ Keith mused as he took the trash to the kitchen and grabbed another set of drinks.  _ Does Shiro even care about Valentine’s day? I’ve never heard him mention it.  _ Keith frowned as he dug through the cabinet, not trusting his hands to pop off the tops on the counter in his distraction.  _ I’ve never even heard him talk about dating at all.  _ He huffed a little under his breath as he thought.  _ Maybe… there’s a reason he hasn’t dated.  _ Keith bit his bottom lip hard as he pulled the bottle opener out from the third cabinet he checked. 

_ He did say he knew what it was like having feelings for someone who didn’t like him back? Could he have meant… me?  _ It was probably wishful thinking, Keith figured.  _ But what if it isn’t. I have to know.  _ He stared at the bottle opener in his hand for long enough that Shiro had wandered in from the living room. 

“Everything ok?” He asked quietly, face tinged with worry. 

Keith shook his head. “Yeah, sorry. Spaced out for a sec.” He blushed as he turned to open the bottles. 

“It’s uh,” Shiro started, clearing his throat. “It’s probably weird for you not having Hunk here today, isn’t it?” His tone was sympathetic. 

Keith shrugged, taking a healthy sip from his drink. “It’s fine. We hang out all the time.” He answered nonchalantly. 

Shiro grabbed his own as well. “Yeah, but…” Sputtering a little, Shiro rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. “It just seems like this was kind of  _ your thing  _ and I know it can be rough, given your uh, situation.” 

Draining half of his beer in one long, dramatic drink, Keith blinked hard and stared at the space to the left of Shiro’s ear. “I don’t have a  _ situation. _ One of my friends has a girlfriend now. That’s all it is. It’s fine.” He could feel his chance at telling Shiro how he felt slipping through his fingers. 

“Right, of course.” Shiro licked his lips and took another swig from his bottle. “Because you and Hunk are just friends.” He asserted. 

Keith closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair before opening them again. “We  _ are _ just friends, Shiro.” Keith’s voice took on a sharp edge. 

Shiro held his hand up in a fake show of surrender. “Definitely, definitely.” He agreed in a way that was very clearly not agreeing. 

Keith frowned. “Shiro.” He said sternly as Shiro looked over at him innocently. “I. Do not. Like. Hunk.” He stated, plainly and simply, while making eye contact. “This isn’t… we don’t have a little secret where I know that you know that whatever. No one knows anything. There’s nothing to know. We’re just friends!” He was almost shouting by the time he was finished. 

It seemed to finally get through to Shiro as his face went from surprised, to confused, to understanding, to concerned. “Ok, for real. I believe you.” He finally answered. 

Keith sighed and let his posture slump in relief. “Good. Thanks.” He practically whispered. 

The warm weight of Shiro’s hand landed on his shoulder and he looked up. “Even if there’s nothing romantic there, it can still be hard when a close friend starts seeing someone new and you get less time together.” Shiro said sympathetically. “I didn’t know what to do with myself when Lotor and Matt started dating.” He chuckled. 

“You started hanging out with me more.” Keith answered quietly with a lopsided smile. 

Shiro laughed and dropped his hand. “I guess you’re right, now that I think about it.” He took another sip of beer. “And look how much fun we’re having! We don’t need boyfriends, being single is great.” He glanced over at the clock above the stove. “We’ve been playing for like 3 hours and haven’t had to check our phones or call to say we’ll be out late.” He smiled wistfully. “We could stay up all night if we wanted to.” 

Keith chuckled awkwardly in response.  _ OK, there goes that plan…  _ He groaned internally. “Yeah but then you’d have to drive home  _ single handedly. _ ” Keith replied with a smirk. 

Shiro choked on his drink and leaned over the sink as he coughed. Keith laughed and slapped hard at his back. “Ugh, it came out my nose.” Shiro moaned as Keith handed him a few paper towels, still nearly doubled over. “You have the worst timing.” He said with a half-cough, half-laugh. 

Keith grinned. “I think you mean the best timing.” He replied smugly. 

Shiro rolled his reddened eyes. “Come on, my arm has a few more levels of charge at least.” He shook his head and took a careful drink, glaring at Keith, daring him to make another pun before he swallowed. It set Keith off in another fit of laughter as they made their way back to the couch. 

Halfway through the second to last level, Shiro’s arm let out a high pitched beep. They both looked over in surprise. “Well I guess that means I should head home.” He said with a laugh as he set his controller down. 

Keith hit pause as Shiro started to stand up. “You could just stay the night if you want.” He offered quietly. “I can drive your car back in the morning and have Lance pick me up on his way home from Allura’s.” 

Shiro smiled and seemed to consider it for a moment before letting the smile slip. “I should get to bed soon anyway, thanks though.” He licked his lips, lost in thought. “This was really fun. We should do game nights more often.” 

“Yeah, we should.” Keith agreed. The air between them felt a little charged. Keith hoped it wasn’t just his imagination.  _ He just said how much he loved being single _ warred in Keith’s mind with  _ that look on his face… there’s definitely  _ **_something_ ** _ here.  _ He swallowed hard. “Shiro…” 

He didn’t get the chance to finish his sentence before the front door opened with a crash. “Mullet! Shiro!” Lance slurred with a smile, face a little green. 

“Lance.” They both deadpanned. 

Lance cocked his head back and made a face that screamed indignation. “Wassat sposed to mean?” He stumbled a little on his way down the hall. 

“Did you really get shitfaced on your Valentine’s day date?” Keith asked incredulously. 

Lance shook his head. “Mayhaps I did do that.” He said, straightening his shoulders. “Drinks were… very cheap.” His shoulders shook a little as he turned abruptly and quickly bounced off the walls on the way to the bathroom. 

Unpleasant noises filled the small apartment,and Shiro grimaced, turning to Keith. “You sure you don’t want to crash at my place?” He asked with a laugh. 

Keith groaned. “No, someone should make sure he doesn’t aspirate. I’d be the number one murder suspect if he turned up dead.” 

Shiro laughed and pulled his keys out. “Well good luck.” He punched lightly at Keith’s arm and his cheeks tinted pink. “Maybe we can finish our game next weekend?” Shiro asked tentatively. 

“Yeah, sounds good. Your place, though.” Keith laughed. 

Nodding, Shiro turned to leave. He paused in the doorway. “Happy Valentine’s day, Keith.” He said, looking back over his shoulder. 

Keith felt his cheeks heat up. “You too.” 

Shiro closed the door behind him with a soft click. Keith sighed and headed down the hallway with a glass of water once the gagging stopped. 

..

Keith woke with a jolt far too early the following morning. Hunk had unceremoniously thrown open his door and made himself at home at the end of Keith’s bed. “So? How’d your date with Shiro go?” Hunk asked before Keith had even fully gotten both eyes to open. 

He groaned as he leaned over and hit the unlock button on his phone. Hunk was far too chipper for the clock to have been reading a single digit hour. “Wasn’t a date.” Keith protested grumpily. “And have you ever heard of knocking?” 

Hunk rolled his eyes. “Come on, I know he was over here, he left his jacket on the couch.” Hunk prompted. “And Pidge said she told him to come over.” He added with an innocent smile. 

“We played video games and drank shitty beer.” Keith mumbled, yawning and stretching his arms out over his head as he sat up cross legged. “And then Lance threw up everywhere.” He grimaced. 

Hunk wrinkled his nose. “Yeah, he’s still out cold in the bathtub, by the way.”

Keith sighed. “He was covered in puke. Didn’t want him to crawl into your bed by mistake.”

Hunk laughed. “Such a considerate friend! Now stop changing the subject. Why didn’t you tell him? It was the perfect time!” At Keith’s unimpressed and confused face, Hunk ticked off the list on his fingers. “Uh, Valentine’s day? You had the whole apartment to yourself? He brought you  _ flowers. _ ” 

Keith shook his head. “He thought that’s what we did for Forever Alone Day.” He protested. “And I was going to!” Hunk gave him a sarcastic frown. “Seriously. Right as I was about to, he went on and on about how great being single was.” He finished, slumping his shoulders in defeat. ers slumped. 

“How are you so bad at this?” Hunk groaned and looked up at the ceiling. “Buddy, pal, brother. He was trying to make you feel better since all of your friends are dating now. He’s so into you. You gotta tell him.” 

Keith’s cheeks turned red as he looked down at his lap. “We did kinda have… a moment.” He muttered out quietly. 

Hunk leaned forward with wide eyes. “Oh em gee. What happened?” He gestured wildly for Keith to continue. 

“I don’t know,” Keith groaned, rubbing his face with his hands. “He was looking at me all… you know. And talked about how much fun he had.” His hands folded into his lap again as he remembered the tense few moments the night before. “I almost told him, but then Lance barged in like a moron and barfed everywhere so Shiro left.” 

Hunk sighed and shook his head. “Well, now you know. Are you guys gonna hang out again soon? Say yes.” 

Keith nodded solemnly. “He wants to hang out next weekend if he’s not busy at work.” He wrung his hands. “I was kind of thinking about waiting until his birthday?” Keith looked up at Hunk’s unimpressed face. “He bought me some new art supplies as a back to school thing, so I wanted to paint something nice for him.” He explained softly. “Then I can explain everything and it’ll be… whatever… a romantic gesture or something.” He huffed out, crossing his arms. 

Hunk leaned forward and pinched his cheek. “There ya go! Who knew little Keithy was such a sap?” He said with a wide grin. Keith slapped his hand away with a harsh glare. “Now that your love life is settled, let’s go wake Lance up, I need to take a leak.” Hunk finished with a smile, standing up and gesturing for Keith to follow him out the door. 

..

Shiro was the most popular trainer at The Arena by far, not that his boss gave him anything extra or even treated him like a human being half the time. But his clients had kept him busy all through the week and into the weekend. The “sorry, maybe next weekend,” text hadn’t come as a surprise, but it was still a little disappointing. 

Keith wiped his brush on his rag with a frown as he stared at the painting. It was almost finished. Space Shuttle Endeavor in all her glory, rapidly ascending the atmosphere with a backdrop of Earth and the stars beyond filled the canvas. Keith smiled as he thought about how much Shiro would love it. 

Keith was still working out the finer details of exactly what he was going to say when he realized he’d forgotten to text Shiro back. “No prob. It’s rough being the golden boy ;)” He smiled as he hit send. 

_ Maybe just… I’m in love with you. Nice and easy. _ It was partly selfish, Keith wasn’t one for overly flowery or complicated grand speeches, he preferred actions. He added a little bit more turpentine to the rag and wiped the brush on it again, flicking a few sprays of almost white, light blue stars onto the deep navy portions of the canvas. His pulse thrummed as he thought. Shiro’s party was just around the corner. 

..

The 28th rolled around, and Lance and Hunk were  _ supposed _ to be gone by the time Shiro came over. But Allura was running uncharacteristically late and had Pidge with her, so they all decided to just meet at the apartment instead of the park for Shiro’s party.  _ It’s fine. I can just ask him to come into my room and show him the painting and tell him how I feel and it’s totally fine _ Keith tried to convince himself, pacing around his room. 

The doorbell rang and Keith almost jumped out of his skin. He took a deep breath and went to answer it, but Lance had beaten him to it, already ushering Shiro inside with excited shouting about his birthday. Shiro politely thanked him as his eyes met Keith’s across the room. The soft smile that lit up Shiro’s whole face had Keith’s breath hitching in his throat. 

_ That’s a good sign!  _ He mused, wiping his suddenly sweaty palms on his jeans. He swallowed hard as he made his way across the living room. It felt a little bit like tightrope walking across an abyss, but Shiro’s smile didn’t fade as he approached. “Hey, happy birthday.” Keith said with a shy smile of his own. 

“Thanks.” Shiro answered quietly. 

Keith bit his lip.  _ Just ask him to go to your room for a second _ his mind shouted, but Lance recaptured Shiro’s attention before Keith could make his voice work. 

“Shiro! You’re like, the most romantic guy ever. I screwed up V-day  _ big time _ and I’m trying to make it up to Allura. I need some pointers.” Lance begged. 

Shiro laughed and crossed his arms over his chest while Keith watched in rapt attention. “Well, what do you have so far?” He asked cautiously. 

Lance waved his hands in the air in front of them. “Ok, so, it's Friday night. We get in a rowboat. I row her to a secluded cove down the beach.” He wiggled his eyebrows at Shiro, who frowned. “We get there and I get out, carry her to shore so she doesn't get her dress wet. A picnic is already set up, we're bathed in moonlight.” His eyes glinted as he spoke. “I pour her a glass of wine, and a huge band emerges from the other side of the beach and a bunch of people jump out where I lead them in a big flash mob! But I just can't figure out what song they should be playing.” He finished, looking over at Shiro pleadingly. 

Shiro's nose was wrinkled up and he let out a chuckle. “Lance, your core idea is good, but it needs some massaging.” He began tactfully. “How about, you take her on a stroll down the beach so you don’t have to worry about a boat and ruining her dress.” He put an arm around Lance's shoulder. “And instead of a bunch of strangers staring at her, you just have a nice picnic ready when you get there, make sure a big bouquet of her favorite flowers are set out on the blanket and if you want music, bring some Bluetooth speakers.” He patted Lance's back and dropped his hand. 

Lance grinned. “Yeah, yeah ok. I knew I could count on you, man.” He held his hand up for a high five. Shiro laughed as their hands slapped together. 

“Allura wouldn't want a bunch of people around and for things to be all complicated. Just something simple and sweet, to let her know that you care about her and want her to have a nice night.” He coached gently. “It doesn't need to be all that elaborate, but you have to put those special touches in. Make sure it's her  _ favorite _ wine and her  _ favorite _ flowers. Pick a blanket that's checkered with both of your favorite colors if you can find it.” He ticked off the list on his fingers. “I'll send you my playlist, too. It's perfect for a night on the beach.” 

Keith frowned as Shiro and Lance continued planning Lance’s date.  _ I didn’t get him flowers. And almost all of our friends are here. Shiro’s gonna hate this. _ He turned and stared at Hunk, wide-eyed. Hunk looked back at him with a tired expression as he shrugged. Keith let out an exasperated breath through his nose and pulled Hunk into his room. “You heard all that!” He whispered harshly. 

Hunk rolled his eyes. “Yeah, but Lance is hopeless. Keith, look at this.” He gestured towards the painting. “There’s no way Shiro won’t love it.” 

Keith sighed. “I didn’t get flowers.” He muttered dejectedly. 

Grabbing Keith by the shoulders, Hunk shook him. “You don’t need flowers. It’s fine.” 

Keith groaned. “He took off all next weekend for Matt’s birthday. I’ll go get flowers, and then I can tell him, and it’ll be perfect.” 

Hunk shook his head. “It’s your life, man. Are you trying to convince me, or are you trying to convince you? I just want you to be happy.” He crossed his arms. 

Keith ran a hand through his hair. “Next weekend. For sure.” He promised and followed Hunk out of his room without saying anything else. 

Shiro smiled at them as they came back into the living room. Hunk had grabbed his present for Shiro on the way, a ‘ _ low-carb, high-protein quick dinners for the busy body builder’ _ cookbook. Shiro laughed and pulled Hunk into a tight hug. “Thanks, Hunk. It’s perfect.” He said with a grin. 

Hunk pointed out some of his favorite recipes (which he’d already tabbed for Shiro, of course) as Keith grabbed the small box from where he’d placed it on the counter earlier. It was a little bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy to have a backup gift ready, he knew, but he liked to be prepared.

As soon as Shiro and Hunk were finished talking, Keith handed the present over to Shiro with a wry smile. Shiro smiled back a little suspiciously as he took it and tore through the brightly colored wrapping paper. He opened the taped cardboard box with a frown. Pulling one glove from inside of it, he set the box back on the counter. “Thanks, Keith.  _ A single glove.  _ How thoughtful.” He deadpanned. 

Keith suppressed a laugh as he pulled the other glove, still in the carefully opened package, from his back pocket. Shiro snatched it from him as he dangled it between them. He read the brand name and looked at the gloves more carefully before shaking his head and taking a step closer to Keith. 

Before he knew what was happening, Shiro had pulled him into a headlock and was ruffling his hair into a poofy mess. “Ah! Ok! Ok! It was a bad joke!” Keith admitted, arms flailing to push Shiro off of him. 

Shiro let him go and laughed. “Thanks, Keith. These are actually really cool.” He grabbed the gloves off the floor where they fell and stuffed them into his pocket. 

“Knew you needed new ones.” Keith mumbled, raking his hands through his messy hair to no avail. “I uh,” He cleared his throat. “I didn’t get the chance to finish that thing I was making for you, sorry.” He looked down and bit his cheek, guilt washing over him at the lie. 

Shiro shrugged with a smile. “It’s fine, the gloves are great.” 

Keith didn’t get a chance to respond- Shiro’s phone started ringing loudly in his pocket. He excused himself to the kitchen to answer it. Keith wilted under Hunk’s disapproving glare but didn’t have anything to say in his defense. 

“Well, that was Matt. Apparently it’s pouring, so…” Shiro said with a tired sigh.  

Keith bit his lip.  _ Shiro can’t have a terrible birthday, I gotta fix this,  _ he thought in a panic. An idea came to him suddenly. “Lance just bought Hot Fuzz, we could watch that instead of going to the park.” He suggested with a tentative smile. 

Shiro grinned. “I didn’t want to say anything since you guys went through all the effort, but I’m so exhausted. A quiet night in with a movie sounds amazing.”

The door opened suddenly as Pidge and Allura scrambled inside, the howling wind whipping rain into the entryway before they could slam it shut. “We got the goods!” Pidge whooped excitedly. 

“Happy birthday, Shiro!” Allura called with a smile, pulling off the top of the large tin of macaroni and cheese. 

Shiro laughed as he stepped closer to get a better look. “Did you guys get this from the school cafeteria?” He asked incredulously. 

Both women grinned and nodded. “Turns out, you and Keith are the only people who actually like it. They were more than happy to part with it for a few dollars.” Allura explained with a teasing laugh. 

“Works for me!” Shiro took the tin from her hands so she could pull of her sodden raincoat. “As soon as Matt and Lotor get here we can slap some candles in here, fire up the movie, and call it a birthday.” 

Keith made sure to sit next to Shiro on the couch as they all piled into the living room with their plates. No matter how often they watched it, the movie never failed to leave Shiro in stitches and Keith lost track of how many times Shiro slapped his knee or bumped their shoulders. He glanced and smiled at Shiro’s reactions whenever he thought he could get away with it unnoticed.  _ After Matt’s party,  _ Keith told himself,  _ That’s plenty of time to get flowers and figure out what I’m gonna say. Just another week.  _


	4. March

March was always ushered in by Matt’s birthday and that year Shiro had painstakingly planned a big surprise party for him. However, Lotor had ruined all of his hard work by whisking Matt off to Cancun for the weekend at the last minute. And Shiro, being the good friend that he was, had agreed to house sit and look after their cat while they were away.

He’d been pissed, of course, which Keith well understood. The 45 minute long phone call listening to Shiro rant and rage about how inconsiderate it was of Lotor not to check with him first was the most upset Keith had ever heard him. “Do you know what he said when I asked him what he was thinking!?” Shiro practically shouted.

Keith couldn't help but feel a little indignant on Shiro's behalf. “What did he say?” He asked, playing along with Shiro's rant.

“He said _how was I supposed to know you'd already planned something_?” Shiro did his worst, most exaggerated British accent. “Uh, maybe because I do EVERY YEAR, ASSHOLE.” Shiro shouted into the phone.

Keith groaned melodramatically. “Major dick move.” He agreed.

“Ugh!... Anyway, sorry to talk your ear off. I'm here cat-sitting for Reeve even though he won't come out from underneath the bed. Wanna come ruin their Netflix recommendations?” Shiro asked with a chuckle.

Keith dropped the pen he'd been holding and pushed his chair away from his desk. “Yes, god yes.” He said in relief. “If I don't walk away from this animation package I'm gonna throw it out the window.”

Shiro laughed. “I have all the snacks and drinks that were for the party. Bring an overnight bag, we'll make a big event of trashing the place.” Keith knew that by _trashing the place_ , Shiro meant not taking out the recycling before he left Sunday night and maybe leaving a few dishes in the sink, so he agreed without hesitation.

“Be there in 15.” Keith replied with a smile that Shiro could almost hear through the phone. Keith started packing a change of clothes and his spare toothbrush into his backpack as they said goodbye. He left a note for Hunk and Lance on the fridge ( _cat sitting for Matt, be back Sunday)_ and headed to Matt's.

Matt and Lotor's apartment was huge, fancy, and more expensive than Keith even wanted to consider. Shiro hadn't bothered locking the door, so Keith just headed inside as soon as he arrived.

Shiro was standing in the kitchen, pouring an entire bottle of UV Blue into a punch bowl filled with Mountain Dew and rainbow sherbet. “Are we 16?” Keith asked with a laugh as he dumped his bag by the door.

Shiro chuckled and kept pouring. “Hey, it's actually pretty good. Occasionally Matt's disgusting concoctions hit the mark.” He looked up when the bottle was empty. “Thanks for coming over, by the way. I'm glad I don't have to just sit and stew about how mad I am all weekend.”

Keith shrugged and poured a cup of the sketchy punch. “Free booze, free food, good company. Why wouldn't I?” He said with a smile.

Shiro blushed a little and looked away. “If you're talking about the cat, we're not friends anymore.” He grumbled, rubbing the back of his neck as he tossed the bottle in the recycling.

As if on cue, Reeve crawled out from under the bed and trotted over to Keith’s feet, meowing loudly to be picked up. Keith leaned over and granted his request, bringing Reeve’s face up to his own so he could nuzzle it before flipping him onto his back and holding him like a baby. “Of course I meant my best buddy, Reeve.” He said in a goofy baby-talk voice while petting Reeve’s exposed belly. “You’re ok too, I guess.” He said with a grin, looking up at Shiro.

Shiro shook his head sadly. “Betrayed by my two best friends, all in one weekend.” He walked up to Keith’s side and sipped his own sugary monstrosity while scratching Reeve's chin. He purred loudly at the attention.

“Does petty revenge make up for it?” Keith asked with a smirk.

Grinning mischievously, Shiro headed for the couch. “Yes, absolutely.” He turned the TV on and scrolled to Netflix. “Ok, what does Matt hate more? Terrible romantic comedies or overly-gory horror?”

Keith sat down next to him, letting Reeve jump out of his arms to slink underneath the couch. He hummed in thought as he sipped his drink. “Probably romantic comedies, right?”

Shiro nodded. “True.” Hitting the search bar, he started typing slowly at the onscreen keyboard with the tiny unwieldy remote. “Dark Netflix, show me Katherine Heigl.” He muttered under his breath.

Keith almost choked on his drink. “How much punch have you had if you’re already memeing?” He asked, wiping his chin.

“I think it’s just this place. It must be built on an ancient dweeb burial ground or something.” Shiro replied, trying not to laugh.

They scrolled through all the movies Netflix suggested, grimacing at the thought of having to watch any of them. “Oh wait!” Keith said as Shiro hastily bypassed _50 First Dates._ “50 First Dates is perfect! Lotor literally has a Twitter account that’s just @Adam Sandler, I hate you.”

Shiro shook his head. “I hate that I completely believe that about him.” He said as he hit play.

As far as cinematic quality goes, it wasn’t Keith’s favorite movie of all time, but he couldn’t say he hated it, especially with the several glasses of punch they both went through and the ongoing commentary. “It just seems really messed up that they have a kid like,” Keith slurred as he filled both cups again. “That pregnancy must have been terrifying.”

Shiro laughed and slid to the side on the couch. “She wakes up and just Ahh! What!?” He held his hand out in front of his stomach mimicking a baby bump.

Keith sloshed some of the sticky, neon blue liquid onto the counter as he laughed. “Yeah, that one is definitely secretly a horror movie. Three boxes in one!” He held his cup up to the air in a toast and sipped from it, heading back to the couch next to Shiro.

Taking the drink, Shiro scrolled through the recommendations. “We might die of alcohol poisoning trying to get through these.” He took another large swig as he hit play on a random awful-looking suggestion with a thumbnail of a man and woman looking in opposite directions, with soft lighting and a beach for the backdrop.

They made it through about 15 minutes before Shiro hit mute with a sigh. “Food break?” He suggested.

Keith nodded his agreement. “I could eat like 12 boxes of bagel bites right now.”

Shiro laughed. “Well, buddy, you are in luck.” He got off the couch a little unsteadily, shrugging his right shoulder with a grimace. Keith followed him to the kitchen and watched in amazement as he opened the freezer. “We have cheese, pepperoni, three cheese, and nacho cheese. Matt may have a problem.” He said with a laugh.

Pulling out two boxes of nacho cheese flavor without hesitation, Keith grinned. “I can make it through at least two more awful movies with these.”

Shiro nodded in agreement, shrugging his right shoulder again as he pulled out two cookie sheets.

“Hey, it’s late,” Keith said as he glanced at the clock which read shortly after 9:00. “Should probably take that off.” He gestured towards Shiro’s arm.

Shiro looked up in surprise as he put the trays in the oven. “Oh jeez, yeah good call.” He made his way back over to the couch and removed the prosthetic. “I was wondering why my neck was starting to hurt.” He smiled up at Keith softly. “I probably would have forgotten to take it off without you here.”

Keith blushed and smiled back. “Good thing I’m here then.” He replied quietly.

Shiro looked down at his arm and shuffled over to the charging station he’d set up next to the couch. “There, all plugged in.” He said, clearing his throat.

“Your shoulder ok?” The unspoken _do you need me to rub it for you_ hung uncomfortably in the air between them with the tear-jerking dramedy playing on the TV.

Shiro’s face went on a bit of a journey, the particular detours through which Keith couldn’t quite pick out in the dim lighting, it landed on embarrassed. “Yeah, it’s fine.” Shiro assured.

The awkwardness put a heavy air over the few minutes they had to wait before their snacks were finished, but as soon as they got up, it was like it had never happened. They were back to making fun of the overly-dramatic fights that could have easily been avoided and the terrible over acting.

Around 3AM, Shiro hit pause on the latest melodrama on the TV. “I’m calling it, you’re a stronger man than I.” He said with a smile.

Keith stretched. “Glad you said something, thought I was gonna die on this couch.” He murmured with a smirk.

Shiro shook his head. “Well you might be out of luck there,” He said cringing in sympathy. “I’m pretty sure they bought the least comfortable bed possible for the guest room so that no one would want to stay over, but it’s yours if you’d rather have that than the couch.” Shiro said with an exhausted half-laugh, half-yawn that set Keith off as well.

“Yeah that sounds like Lotor.” He grumbled as he contemplated.

Shiro looked over towards the master bedroom. “I bet _their_ bed is super comfortable, though.” He mused.

Keith tilted his head to side and followed Shiro’s eyes. “We could check.” He said conspiratorially.

Shiro’s face lit up and he nodded, heading towards the door.

Reeve was already curled up in a ball on top of Matt’s pillow, but he scampered off to hide under the bed as Shiro sat down. “Oh man, it’s so comfortable.” He murmured, laying down without bothering to crawl under the covers.

Keith climbed onto the other side of the huge bed and marveled at how plush the mattress was and how soft the sheets felt under his hands. He laid down next to Shiro on the other pillow and groaned. “Yeah, definitely need to figure out how to get rich.” He said with a chuckle.

Shiro exhaled sharply and the side of his mouth ticked up, but he didn’t seem to have the energy for a full laugh. Keith couldn’t blame him, he was just as exhausted. Sleep claimed Shiro quickly, but Keith’s mind was still in overdrive. They’d shared plenty of beds before, even if one of them usually turned around to sleep at the other’s feet. It shouldn’t have felt so new and strange. He squeezed his eyes shut and let the sound of Shiro’s steady breathing lull him to sleep.

..

Soft sunlight filtered in through the curtains they hadn’t bothered to draw the night before as Keith blinked a few times and tried to stretch, but his limbs felt heavy and he was much warmer than he expected to be without the covers on. His breath froze in his lungs as he looked down at his chest.

At some point in the night, Shiro had moved in close and tucked his head under Keith’s chin. Shiro’s arm was in between them, fisted into Keith’s shirt, and their legs were tangled together. Keith’s chest ached with fondness. He knew he wouldn’t have any trouble getting used to waking up that way... if he could just tell Shiro how he felt.

Shiro was sleeping peacefully, breaths coming and going softly against Keith’s neck. It tickled a little but Keith couldn’t find it in himself to mind. _I could wake him up right now and tell him… I don’t need flowers or a big grand gesture…_ Shiro snuggled farther into Keith and tugged on his shirt, mumbling under his breath as he slept.

 _I should let him sleep a little longer,_ Keith thought to himself with a yawn, deciding he could use a little more rest as well. He wrapped an arm around Shiro’s shoulder; it was easy to fall back to sleep with Shiro in his arms.

Keith woke up a second time a few hours later, squinting at the late morning sun. Shiro was already out of bed, and from the way Reeve was peacefully sleeping nestled up to Keith’s stomach, probably had been for a while. Scratching Reeve’s neck sleepily for a moment, Keith closed his eyes again before blinking hard a few times. He wasn’t exactly hungover, but he was more than a little groggy.

Shiro’s voice carrying through the open doorway caught his attention; he sounded like he was talking to someone. Using his curiosity as motivation, Keith clambered out of the far-too-comfortable bed and padded into the kitchen to investigate.

Keith stopped at the entrance when he saw that Shiro was holding his phone up, video chatting with Matt from his fancy Cancun resort. “And there are people whose jobs it is to just walk back and forth from the pool bringing us drinks! How great is that?” Matt asked excitedly.

Shiro chuckled. “Sounds like it’s really fun. I’m glad you guys are having a good time.”

Matt smiled wistfully a little to his right, presumably where Lotor was patiently waiting for him to end the call. “Yeah, we are.”

Keith crossed his arms as he leaned against the doorframe, frowning as he watched the tension in Shiro’s face as he tried to smile. “Well Reeve is doing fine, even if he still only lets me pet him if I’m holding food.” Shiro replied. “You guys can have your relaxing, romantic weekend getaway worry-free.”

Matt nodded. “Never doubted you for a second, buddy.” He said with a wink. “Thanks again for watching him.”

Shiro shrugged. “Yeah, no problem. Happy birthday, Matt.”

“Thanks.” He smiled earnestly.

Keith watched as they said their goodbyes and Shiro put his phone back in his pocket. He slumped over the still-warm pan on the stove with a sigh.

“Hey,” Keith walked up quietly next to him and placed his hand on Shiro’s shoulder, “everything ok?” He asked, concerned.

Shiro let out a self-deprecating laugh. “Would it be really dumb if I said no?” His voice was a little rough and he swallowed hard.

Keith pushed at his shoulder a little so that Shiro would turn to face him. “No, it wouldn’t. What’s up?” He dropped his hand back to his side to give Shiro more space.

Shiro sighed again and crossed his arms, frowning down at the click and whirr of his right arm. “Matt and I used to do everything together. All through high school we even had joint birthday parties and now I’m lucky if he pencils me in once a month.” He grumbled. “It’s a dumb thing to be annoyed over, I’m happy for him. He and Lotor are great together but…” He shook his head.

Nodding in understanding Keith crossed his arms, too. “But now you feel kinda left out.” Keith suggested.

“Yeah, exactly.” He licked his lips before continuing. “I just feel so stupid still letting it bother me, I mean it’s been 4 years. You’d think I’d get over it.” He grumbled.

Keith sighed. “It’s just one of those things. Like with Hunk.” He replied, contemplating. There was more he could do, he knew. “We could screw up their Netflix recommendations some more.” He offered with a small, lopsided smile.

Shiro chuckled again and opened the microwave, pulling out a plate stacked high with pancakes. “Sounds like a plan to me.” He tipped half of them onto another plate on the counter while Keith grabbed forks and syrup.

They settled back onto the couch and ate their breakfast, laughing intermittently at the terrible movie they’d put on. As he finished his meal, Keith thought back to earlier in the morning and the feeling of Shiro nestled close to him. _He’s upset and needs me to be there for him right now, maybe once Matt’s back he’ll feel better and I can tell him then,_ Keith considered as he took their plates to the sink.

After the umpteenth awful movie in a row, they checked out the recommended section and smiled mischievously at each other at their handiwork. “I think we’ve earned a break, right?” Shiro suggested, grabbing a controller from the table and shaking it towards Keith.

They spent nearly all of Saturday switching back and forth between video games and movies they knew Matt and Lotor would hate. Eventually the romantic comedies were too much and they switched to more Adam Sandler movies, competitive cooking shows, random episodes of various procedural cop shows, and most memorably, a bizarre documentary on Scientology.

“Man I feel like I know _less_ about Scientology now.” Shiro muttered, taking his prosthetic off and laying it out to be charged.

Keith furrowed his brows as he watched the credits roll by. “I know one thing for sure.” Keith said gravely. “That lady is definitely dead.”

Shiro dissolved into giggles and rested his head against the couch. “That's so messed up.” He said, shaking his head as he got back up and stretched.

Keith shrugged. “But true.” He defended.

“Well you’re not wrong.” Shiro agreed. “You tired?” He asked with a yawn.

Frowning Keith looked back at the TV and rubbed the back of his neck. “Nah I slept in kinda late.”

Shiro looked a little deflated at his statement, prompting Keith to continue. “Hey, remember when we were in middle school and we used to make pillow forts at my uncle’s?” It was a longshot, Keith knew, but he had been doing well at his mission to cheer Shiro up for most of the day.

Shiro’s eyes lit up. “All of Lotor’s pillows and sheets are so expensive, that would be the most comfortable blanket fort of all time.”

“Guess you better put your arm back on.” Keith replied with a smirk.

He helped Shiro quickly reattach the prosthetic and they got to work, pulling all the fancy linens from the bed and the closet and borrowing some chairs from the dining set. Soon enough they had turned the entire living room into a massive pillow fort that put their younger selves to shame. “It’s like a… like a pillow castle!” Shiro said with a laugh.

Keith crawled inside and made a cocoon out of Lotor and Matt’s comforter around himself, grinning up at Shiro. “It’s so nice.” He said dreamily.

Shiro wasted no time chucking his arm back on the charger and heading inside as well. The opening was held up by streamers they’d repurposed from what would have been Matt’s party. It was very festive. “This was an amazing idea, Keith. Good call.” Keith smiled at the praise as Shiro reached for the remote. “I can’t take another awful movie or boring show though, we should watch something fun.”

It was almost as if every single piece of media Keith had ever seen evaporated from his memory at the words. They both laid there for a moment frowning in concentration. “What was that one movie you watched all the time? With the little fire guy and the girl that was an old lady but not really?” Shiro asked after a few minutes.

“Howl’s Moving Castle?” Keith asked. He wouldn’t admit it, but he still watched it all the time.

Shiro nodded with a grin. “I remember that being really fun, wanna watch it? For old time’s sake?” He suggested.

“Yeah, sounds good.” Keith was much more excited than he hoped he let on.

They turned off all the lights and started up the movie. Keith was quickly sucked into the familiar story. At his favorite scene, he looked over at Shiro to comment, but held his tongue when he realized Shiro was already fast asleep. Quietly turning off the movie and the TV, Keith settled in to get some rest as well.

At some point in the night, Keith and Shiro had decimated their fort and laid in the wreckage. Waking up, Keith was the most comfortable he had ever been. They’d ended up face to face again, legs tangled. Shiro’s torso was still wrapped in a blanket like a burrito but his head was pressed into Keith’s cheek.

Keith brushed Shiro’s bangs away from his forehead and smiled at his peacefully sleeping face. He was determined not to fall back to sleep again and miss another chance, which turned out to be surprisingly easy as his heart pounded rapidly in his chest.

Shiro’s eyes blinked open and he looked up at Keith in surprise, cheeks slowly reddening as Keith smiled.

“Good morning.” Keith whispered softly.

“Morning.” He replied, just as quietly.

They stared at each other for a long moment, cocooned by the blankets draping down around them. “Shiro…” Keith started quietly.

Shiro’s phone started ringing on the coffee table, jarring them both from the private moment. “I should probably,” He mumbled, untangling himself and crawling out of the now small entrance. “Hello?” Shiro answered the phone groggily.

“I didn’t realize how late it was Matt, sorry, I’ll be there in 20 minutes.” Shiro promised, knowing it took at least 25 to get to the airport and he wasn’t even dressed yet.“Ok sounds good, bye.” He ended the call and scrambled over to his prosthetic to put it back on.

Keith cleared his throat and started folding sheets and blankets. “I can clean up while you get them.” He offered, staring down at the sheet in his hand instead of looking at Shiro. “An hour should be plenty of time.”

Shiro looked up, face still tinged with a faint dusting of pink. “Thanks, Keith. For all of this.” He smiled as Keith looked up at him and took a few steps closer. Nudging Keith lightly on the shoulder, he gestured around. “This whole weekend was really fun, I’m glad I can always count on you to be such a good friend.”

Keith swallowed hard and tried to smile back. “Yeah, ‘course.” He replied, looking into Shiro’s shoulder instead of at his face. _Such a good friend… what does that mean?_ Keith thought ruefully as Shiro brushed past him on the way to the bathroom. _Does that mean just a friend?_ He growled under his breath as he fought with folding another sheet.

Shiro walked quickly out of the bathroom, dressed and freshened up. “Ok, I’m gonna head out. You sure you don’t need help?” He offered.

Keith shrugged. “They deserve to have to do some dishes.” He answered with a smirk.

Shiro laughed. “Yeah they do,” He murmured, shoving his phone and prosthetic charger into his backpack and slinging it over his shoulder. “Are you planning on coming out with everyone next weekend for St. Patrick’s day?” He asked, pausing in the doorway.

“Gonna skip this one, I have some freelance stuff going on and homework. Just DDing.” Keith answered.

Shiro looked disappointed for a moment before brightening up. “You’re so responsible, Keith. I’m proud of you.” He replied with comical earnesty. Keith threw a pillow at him. “Ok, ok, I’m going.” He said with a laugh, waving over his shoulder as he left.

Keith put all of the blankets, sheets, and pillows back where he found them and did one last sweep of the apartment to make sure he had all of his things. Shiro’s gray hoodie was still slung over the arm of the couch so he stuffed it into his backpack without letting himself think about it too hard.

..

  


The only studio time slot available for weeks had been 8am the Saturday after St. Patrick's day. Desperate for the extra space to finish a couple of jobs he'd manage to snag and get a head start on his school work, Keith had begrudgingly signed up.

That left him heading to bed early and praying none of his friends would need a ride. So when his phone rang shortly after 2am, he cursed his past self. “Hello?” He mumbled, not quite awake.

“Keith,” a breathy voice greeted him.

He sat up and swung his feet onto the floor. “You guys need a ride?” He asked groggily as he started to dress. He grabbed one of the hoodies slung over the arm of his desk chair and pulled it on awkwardly around the phone cradled to his ear.

“Just me.” Shiro answered in a tone that was either exhausted or hammered. “My arm's beeping.”

Keith let out a big yawn. “Mk, text me the address. Be there in a minute.” He agreed, not bothering to say goodbye before hanging up.

Shiro had sent three corrections to the address by the time Keith sat down in his truck. _I wonder if I'd stop crushing on him if he puked in my truck,_ Keith mused to himself and he headed to the bar to pick Shiro up.

The parking lot had a few empty spots in it when Keith pulled up and he was thankful he wouldn't have to drive around looking for street parking somewhere. He stuffed his hands into the pocket of his hoodie as he made his way around to the front of the building, ignoring the looks he was getting for clearly being out in his pajamas.

Shiro was standing outside the door to the bar, talking to a group of people Keith didn't recognize. His eyes lit up as soon as he saw Keith.

Excusing himself from the pack, he stumbled over to Keith, shushing loudly at his arm as the low battery beep pulsed. “Keith!” He shouted excitedly once Keith was within arm's reach, pulling him into a hug.

“Hey Shiro.” Keith said with a tired chuckle. “Ready to get out of here?” He patted Shiro's back to try to get him to stand up again.

“S’that… my hoodie?” Shiro slurred, rubbing his face into the fabric at Keith's neck.

Keith's eyes widened. “Is it?” He asked, trying to keep calm. _I have a thousand hoodies and I managed to grab Shiro's… nice job, Keith,_ he thought derisively to himself. “Must have gotten left over at my place sometime. You can take it when I drop you off.” He hoped Shiro was too drunk to notice the disappointment in his voice.

Shiro stumbled back half a step and smiled as his eyes roved over Keith's torso. “No, no. Keep it. Looks good on you.” He gripped Keith’s shoulders, swaying unsteadily.

Keith froze, staring up at him with no idea how to respond. Shiro's arm let out another harsh beep, spurring Keith into action. “Come on, let's get you home.” He suggested, grabbing onto Shiro's left wrist and tugging him back towards his truck.

Shiro followed with the grace of a sleepy toddler but Keith managed to get him into the passenger’s seat and buckled in with minimal trouble. The drive was quiet as Shiro half-dozed with his face resting up against the window. Keith nudged him gently when they got back to his apartment.

Shiro hummed as he sat up. He frowned, twitching his shoulder and getting no response from his right arm. “Too late.” He murmured, attempting to wrestle his shirt off one-handed and still buckled in.

Keith rolled his eyes and shut off the car before walking around and unbuckling Shiro's seatbelt for him. He helped Shiro out of the car and pulled his shirt back down. “I'll help you get your arm off when we get inside, ok?” He explained as patiently as he could.

Shiro nodded and let Keith steady him as they walked the rest of the way to Shiro's door. He laughed and looked over at Keith when they arrived. “Keys are in my… right pocket. Better be careful.” He said teasingly in between drunken chortles. Keith rolled his eyes and dug his hand into Shiro's pocket, pulling out the small ring of keys.

Keith felt himself blushing as he unlocked the door and Shiro stumbled in behind him. _Arm off, bed, no big deal,_ Keith coached himself, corralling Shiro to the couch. He helped Shiro remove his shirt and tried not to stare at the long planes of hard muscle mottled with scars.

Taking off the prosthetic was fairly simple, but the way Shiro's eyes were burning holes into the side of Keith's face as he worked made it seem much harder. “You're so… nice.” Shiro murmured, kicking off his shoes as Keith plugged the prosthetic into the charger.

“Yup, that's me. Super nice.” Keith grumbled, offering Shiro his hand to help him stand back up.

They stumbled down the hallway as Shiro tried to balance while drunk and unused to the lack of weight on his right side.

Keith was almost out of breath as he sat Shiro down on the bed. “Ok, now go to sleep.” he coaxed, gently pushing Shiro's chest towards the bed.

“You should… stay with me.” Shiro suggested, eyes already half-closed. He had a vice grip on Keith's wrist.

Keith sighed. “I can't buddy, I gotta go home.”

Shiro's hand dropped back down to his lap and he nodded, face comically stern. He stood up faster than Keith expected was possible, given his state, and pulled him into another hug. “Good night.” He mumbled sadly into Keith's neck.

Keith chuckled and patted his back. “Good night.”

Shiro stepped back and leaned his head down, pressing his lips to the tip of Keith's nose. “For luck.” He explained with a smile.

Keith swallowed the lump in his throat and gently pushed Shiro the rest of the way back into the bed. “Thank you, I feel very lucky.” He deadpanned, unceremoniously tossing the blanket over him.

“Wait, Keith.” Shiro whined as he pulled the covers off of his face. Keith turned back to look at him with a raised eyebrow. “You have to do mine.” He said, tapping the tip of his nose.

Keith sighed and walked back over to the bed. “I'm putting this on that ‘drunk guy or 5 year old’ subreddit when I get home.” He mumbled under his breath.

Shiro either didn't hear him or didn't care; he closed his eyes and leaned his face up a little. Keith leaned down and pressed his lips just below the scar on the bridge of Shiro's nose. “There. Good luck. Go to sleep.” He groused, standing back up.

Keith headed to the kitchen and uncapped a bottle of water, bringing it and a few tablets of ibuprofen back into Shiro's bedroom. Shiro was already mostly asleep, mouth half open as he breathed deeply. Keith softened and allowed himself to indulge in the sight for a few moments before heading back to his truck and to his own bed.

  



	5. April

Keith groaned and flailed his arms in the air as he leaned against the back of the couch. “I don't know! It was super weird.” He stared up at the ceiling. “And he was drunk.” Keith added, crossing his arms.

Hunk tutted disapprovingly next to him. “You just have to tell him. It doesn't matter how or when, just lay it out there, man!” He shoved lightly at Keith's shoulder. “Ok, ok, I got it! When he gets here I'll pretend my mom is calling and I'll go into my room. You can tell him then.”

Keith scoffed at the suggestion. “He was supposed to be here ten minutes ago. Probably got stuck with another client.”

“Ugh, we gotta find him a new job.” Hunk groaned. “And a boyfriend.” He added, wiggling his eyebrows. Keith grabbed a pillow from the couch and started jabbing Hunk in the side with it.

Hunk laughed and grabbed the one on his side to block. “I meant you! Obviously I meant you!”

Keith's phone pinged in his pocket and he stopped his assault on Hunk to read the message. “Stuck @work :c sorry” Keith sighed and frowned, turning the phone to show Hunk.

Hunk swore quietly under his breath. “We'll think of something while we shop, man, don't worry.” He reassured.

“Whatever, this is Pidge's birthday party, we should focus on her.” Keith said with a shrug, pulling on his hoodie. _Shiro's hoodie,_ he reminded himself. He pulled his phone back out to reply. “No worries, don't work too hard. Any requests for tonight?” He sent back, waiting for Hunk to pull his own jacket and shoes on.

They filed into Hunk's car and headed to the store. “Ok, Pidge things,” Hunk hummed thoughtfully. “I already made the peanut butter cupcakes, so we're good there.” He tapped his chin as he drove.

Keith crossed his arms and tapped his foot. “Bugles!” He said, snapping his fingers with the realization.

“Oh, oh perfect. She loves to make the little witch fingers.” He wiggled his fingers to demonstrate. “She has the tiniest little fingers, they're so great.” He smiled wistfully. “We spent like 10 hours last weekend building quadcopters and I didn't lose a single screw! She just,” he wiggled his fingers again, “got right in there and got 'em for me.”

Keith laughed. “The true mark of the perfect girlfriend.” He agreed teasingly.

“She really is, though!” Hunk replied with a grin. “She's so smart and funny, and she loves everything I cook and we watch these weird TV shows that I never would have seen without her and I like almost all of them! She's great.”

Keith smiled at the lovestruck look on Hunk's face as he pulled into a parking spot. “I'm happy for you, man. Really.” He lightly bumped his fist into Hunk's shoulder.

Hunk gave him a big smile in return. “Ok, game plan for how to get you and Shiro alone tonight, before either of you get hammered.” He drummed his hands on the steering wheel.

Keith shook his head. “I got nothin’.” He said sadly.

Hunk groaned. “Ok, we'll brainstorm while we shop, let's go.” He turned off the car and headed inside.

They chatted amicably while piling the cart high with various snacks, the necessities for nachos, and mixers for their drinks.

“Oh hey, here we go.” Hunk stopped pushing the cart and turned to Keith with excitement. “We’ll be hanging out in the basement and I’ll tell everyone ‘hey guys, you know upstairs the TV is bigger, and the couches are way more comfy!’ and everyone will be like ‘you’re a beautiful genius, Hunk!’,” He started, gesturing wildly with the tube of chorizo in his hand. “But oh my gosh, we’ll have all this stuff down there, but Shiro and I are really strong! We got this!” He turned and winked at Keith. “That’s where you come in! ‘Oh Hunk, it’s your girlfriend’s birthday party, go hang out with her! I’ll help Shiro!’ and then boom, you’re a gentleman and alone in the basement with Shiro. Perfect time to talk, not enough time to be drunk yet.” He finished, slamming the chorizo into the cart and holding up his hands in victory.

Keith made a skeptical face. “I guess that could work.” He muttered, tossing a bag of shredded cheese into the cart.

Hunk gasped, affronted, and took the shredded cheese out, replacing it with a block. “It’s a brilliant plan, and it’ll definitely work. And you’re a heathen and a monster, cheese is so much better when you shred it yourself!”

Keith rolled his eyes. “Whatever, what else do we need?”

“Turn that frown upside down, sour puss.” Hunk teased, poking at Keith’s face. “What’s wrong?”

Keith sighed. “Nothing, I’m just,” he gestured in the air with his hand, “nervous, I guess.”

Hunk smiled and pulled him into a bear hug. “You got this, buddy!”

Keith groaned and slapped at his arms.

“Ok, I think we’re done!” Hunk said, letting go.

Keith rubbed his sore arms and followed Hunk to the checkout.

..

Pidge rushed out of her front door as soon as she heard Keith’s truck come to a stop in the driveway. She waved excitedly from the sidewalk as they parked. Keith got out and flipped up the cover on the truck bed, revealing several boxes of goodies they'd brought for the evening's festivities.

Pidge made a beeline straight for Keith with a stern expression. “You got the goods, Kogane?” She asked, deepening her voice comically.

Keith smirked and pulled a small cooler out of the bed, handing it over. “Mom and Kolivan's top secret recipe peanut butter balls, three dozen.”

She flung her arms around his waist and squeezed tightly for a moment before grabbing the cooler from his hands.

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god,” she whispered under her breath as she dug a tasty, peanutty morsel out and popped it into her mouth. “Mmm… sho good.” She murmured through the sticky treat.

Hunk cleared his throat from behind her, and Pidge wheeled around with a guilty smile on her face. “Oh… hey puddin’, thanks for setting up my party, you're the best.” She chuckled nervously.

Hunk grinned and laughed, leaning down to kiss her forehead before grabbing a few boxes from the back of the truck. “I know, I know, you can't resist the siren call of peanut butter balls. All is forgiven.”

The three of them laughed together as they carried in the mounds of food and drinks for the party. Stopping first in the kitchen to drop off a few things, they brought most of the snacks down to the basement. Allura and Lance were already there, filling several bean bag chairs up and arranging them around the TV next to the couch.

“Yes! Hunk, buddy, friend, pal, platonic love of my life. Tell me you brought nachos.” Lance pretended to beg at Hunk’s feet as they put the food on the fold-out table towards the back of the room.

Hunk grinned and turned towards him, giving a deep mock-bow “Of course, my good sir. The beef marinates as we speak.” He shook his head and went back to setting out the rest of the snacks. “Did I bring nachos.” He scoffed under his breath.

Pidge popped another peanut butter ball into her mouth. “Ok, Matt and Lotor are on their way. You guys heard from Shiro yet?” She asked, slightly muffled by the treat.

Keith pulled out his phone to see if Shiro ever responded. “No, he’s probably still at work.” He answered, trying to keep his disappointment out of his voice. _What if he ends up being too tired to make it? He deserves a night off, but…_ Keith looked up, realizing he’d missed whatever Pidge had said in response. “Huh?”

Pidge gave him an unimpressed look. “I _said_ I’ll call him after Matt gets here.” she raised an eyebrow at him. “Are you ok? Why are you weird?”

Keith groaned. “I’m not weird!” Crossing his arms, he sighed and looked away from her. “Just… headache. I’m fine.”

She tossed him a soda from the cooler they’d brought down. “Caffeine’ll help. Want drugs? We have all the mediocre stuff: advil, motrin, tylenol.”

He popped open the tab and took a sip. “Thanks, I’m ok for now.”

Hunk gave Pidge a look that she took for _drop it please_ so she went to check on Lance and Allura’s progress.

“I’m too excited for you to see the gift I got you, you have to open it.” Allura said with a grin as she approached.

Pidge’s eyes widened as she reached out her hands in a grabbing motion. Allura laughed and handed her the bag she’d stashed behind the couch. Pulling out the ribbon and colorful tissue paper, Pidge reached the gift and held it up. “Yes! Allura this is amazing! I’m putting it on right now,” she pulled off her hoodie and scrambled to throw on the new one. It was a bright green pullover hoodie with the words _see you never_ centered around a rocket ship blasting off.

Keith and Hunk laughed as he turned and showed it off to them. “Nice job, Allura.” Keith held up his thumb and forefinger in a circle to her.

“Lance helped, but he wanted me to get the pink one.” Allura said with a laugh.

Matt and Lotor thundered down the stairs, interrupting Lance’s protests. “Hey nerds!” Matt called with a grin, running up to Pidge and grabbing her by the waist before spinning both of them around a few times while mock sobbing. “My baby sister all grown up!”

Pidge laughed and shrieked, kicking her legs. “Put me down, you dork!” She wrinkled her nose at him as he sat her back down.

“Did you see your WoW account this morning?” Matt asked wiggling his eyebrows.

Pidge smiled up at him. “Yes! Thank you so much! My guild is gonna be so mad when I show up next weekend all decked out.” They high-fived. “How did you manage to grind that much?”

Matt and Lotor looked at each other and laughed. “I might have taken a few days off of work last week.” Lotor said with an embarrassed grin.

Pidge hummed thoughtfully. “I tolerate you 5% more now.” She looked at him suspiciously. “But you’re still on thin ice.”

He sighed and shrugged. “5% is better than 0%, I’ll take it.”

Hunk stole Lance away for nacho preparations while everyone else busted into the snacks. “No Shiro yet?” Allura asked, looking over at Keith.

He pulled his phone out again, still nothing. Shrugging, he went back to the cupcake he’d been eating. Before he could wipe the peanut butter and crumbs off of his lips, Shiro bounded down the stairs, hair still damp and right sleeve empty.

“Hey guys! Sorry I’m late!” He called with an apologetic grin. He held up a shoebox-sized, brightly wrapped, package. “For the lovely lady,” He dipped his head low as he handed it to her.

Pidge squealed, delighted, as she tore into the gift. Her jaw dropped as she held it up. “Shiro! Where did you find this!?” She launched herself into his chest in a tight hug.

“Well, one of my clients always wears Sailor Moon shirts to her workouts, so I asked if she knew where I could find a big, soft blanket for you. Her business card is in the box, you should check out her Etsy.” Shiro answered, patting her back as she squeezed him.

She pulled back and threw the blanket over her head like a cowl. “Oh man, it’s so soft and warm and you even got the Sailor Mercury one I love it!” She swung back and forth in place, clutching the blanket tightly.

Shiro laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, I’m glad you like it so much, squirt. Happy birthday.”

Pidge hummed serenely. “I will even forgive you for that because I love this so much. I gotta go show Hunk!” She bounded up the stairs, trying not to trip over the blanket in her haste.

Shiro made his way over to the snack table and grabbed a beer from the cooler, flexing his right shoulder and sighing. Keith was already next to him with the bottle opener, holding his hand out. Shiro turned to him with a tired smile. “Thanks,” he said quietly, handing over the beer.

Keith popped it open and handed it back. “They’re really running you ragged, huh?” He asked, twisting his mouth to the side.

Taking a long pull from his drink, Shiro nodded. “Yeah, I might have to look for a new job soon. I thought it would calm down after the January rush, but it’s just…” He took another sip and shook his head. “It’s April and it’s not slowing up at all.”

Keith squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. “What happened to your gym idea?” He asked quietly.

Shiro sighed and looked down at the carpet. “I had some people interested in investing, but it fell through.” He muttered.

Lotor looked over at them from the other side of the table with a raised eyebrow, pausing in his mission to fit as many bugles as possible onto his plate. “Shiro, if it’s just money you need, I’m sure I can find someone looking to invest.”

Cheeks tinting pink, Shiro chuckled. “I know, I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to make it weird. Mixing friends and money is always dicey.”

Shoveling another handful of salty snacks onto his plate, Lotor hummed thoughtfully. “We’ll talk later.” He winked and headed back to where Matt was sitting on the couch.

“Hey, that’d be kinda cool.” Keith said with a smile.

Shiro grinned and ducked under his shaggy bangs a little. “Yeah, it would be… it would be amazing.” He chuckled incredulously, lost in thought.

Before Keith could respond, Hunk, Pidge, and Lance filed downstairs with a huge tower of nachos on a large baking sheet. “Look out below people! Mount Delicious incoming!” Hunk shouted as they made the precarious journey.

Everyone swarmed around the snack table, eager to get a bite of Hunk’s masterpiece. Shiro frowned and walked over to set his beer on the floor next to the couch. Keith grabbed two plates and elbowed Lance out of the way so he could pile both of them high with nachos. “Hey! Watch it, mullet!” Lance growled, elbowing him back.

Keith ignored him, having already snagged his prize. Shiro was waiting patiently behind the crowd of his frenzied friends and smiled fondly as Keith walked up with an extra plate. “You only brought the one elbow. Figured you needed the backup.” Keith explained quietly, smiling back at him.

“Thanks, Keith. You’re the best.” Shiro replied.

Keith blushed and dug into his nachos so he wouldn’t have to come up with a response.

When they all settled, Pidge held her beer up and tapped it with the side of her fork as she sat down with her plate. “Everyone! Keith has some important news!” She gestured to Keith.

His face turned even deeper red as everyone stared at him. “Oh uh… well.” He cleared his throat. “I uh, I got a pretty cool internship. Email came through yesterday.”

Pidge rolled her eyes. “Tell us more, Keith!” She coaxed.

He let a harsh breath out through his nose. “I didn’t want to steal your big day,” he grumbled. “It’s with a cool indie video game studio. They want me storyboarding and helping with animation.”

“Keith, that’s amazing!” Shiro said with a broad grin. “I’m so happy for you.”

Keith smiled back at Shiro as everyone else offered their congratulations.

“How long is it?” Shiro asked once the clamor had calmed down.

Keith licked his lips. “I start May 26th and I think I’m done the last day of July. Maybe August first.”  

“We’ll have to do something fun when you get back.” Shiro said with a nod. “Maybe a hiking trip. Get you reacquainted with nature after that big city livin’ you’ll be doin’!” His voice took on a silly backwoods accent.

Keith shook his head and laughed. “A hiking trip sounds fun, but I’m not gonna be in the _big city_ , I’ll be like 3 hours away in the even more boondocks.”  

The rest of the party carried on as everyone had a few more beers and the snack table was thoroughly pillaged. Hunk looked over at Keith pointedly and then craned his head to the stairs. Keith sighed and stood up, following Hunk to the kitchen. “Ok so, my plan maybe isn’t gonna work.” Hunk said tapping his index fingers together in front of his face.

Keith sighed. “It’s fine. Shiro’s already had like 4 beers anyway, I should just wait.” His whole posture slumped dejectedly.

Hunk nodded. “We should get Pidge to hack into his gym’s computer and take him off like half his clients.” He suggested with a devious grin.

It at least made Keith laugh. “Don’t wanna stress him out, the Arena’ll calm down eventually.” He said reassuringly.

They headed back downstairs after grabbing another case of beer each from the counter, to avoid suspicion. Neither of them were prepared for the scene that was unfolding as they put the beers in the cooler.

Lotor held a hand aloft like he was on Broadway. “Matthew this is a betrayal of the highest order.” He brought the hand down and slapped it hard against his chest, over his heart. “I can’t believe you would do something like this to me. To us.” He turned his head and flung his other arm over his eyes.

Matt sighed. “Babe, the reboot movies are objectively better. Better acting, better score, better special effects. They’re both still good, but come on.” Keith raised an eyebrow suspiciously as he took his seat next to Pidge again.

Scoffing indignantly, Lotor sat back down on the couch next to Matt and crossed his arms. “All of the magic of the original series is lost and replaced with meaningless explosions and fist fights! Where’s the political intrigue? The diplomacy with alien species? The _romance!?_ ” He gestured wildly.

Matt smirked. “You know what impassioned Star Trek arguments do to me.” His eyes glinted as they met Lotor’s.

Lotor’s answering smirk had Shiro scooting farther away from Matt and practically hugging the arm of the couch. “Why do you think I do it?” Lotor asked quietly, voice low and a little husky.

Before Matt could respond, Pidge spoke up. “Nope! No way! This is my birthday party, I’m putting a moratorium on,” She gestured towards them. “All that. Just all of it.” She turned toward Keith, sitting in the bean bag chair on her left. “Actually, Keith, switch places with Matt.” She demanded.

Keith sighed and stood up, walking over to the couch. Matt rolled his eyes but got up to switch as well. Shiro looked a lot happier with the arrangement, not having to sit next to the overly amorous love-birds anymore. He mouthed “thank you” to Pidge, who winked in response.

The conversation/debate continued, though Keith found himself unable to pay attention, squished between Shiro and Lotor. He shoved at Lotor’s leg with a frown, but he widened his legs further in response. “Really?” Keith mumbled under his breath shifting closer to Shiro, who wasn’t sitting much more considerately, but thankfully had shorter legs at least.

Shiro looked over as Keith’s leg slid up against his own. “Oh, sorry.” He mumbled, a little embarrassed. Shiro scooted towards the couch’s arm and brought his knees closer together, turning his head back to Matt’s ridiculous defense of JJ Abrams. Keith stared at the spot where their legs had been touching with a frown. .

Before he could over-analyze the situation, Pidge spoke up, interrupting Lotor’s rebuttal. “Ok, I’m super bored of this.” She said, draining her beer and sitting down next to the coffee table. “We’re playing a party game. Everyone come here.”

At her decree, her friends shuffled over and made themselves comfortable around the table as she continued. “Tonight’s game: Never have I ever. And we’re finally gonna make Hunk lose.” Everyone laughed and held up their hands for the game.

Hunk scoffed. “Yeah, ok. Good luck, babe.” He rolled his eyes and tossed a bugle into his mouth, crunching loudly.

Pidge smirked and held up all the fingers on her left hand. “Never have I ever, made a 9-tiered cake because I was bored.” She said, staring at him pointedly.

He grumbled and tucked his thumb into his hand before taking a drink. Allura was up next and hummed in thought for a moment before snapping up with a grin. “Never have I ever thrown up in Keith’s truck.” Keith gaped in horror as every single one of his friends put a finger down and took a drink except for Allura.

“Really guys!?” He half shouted. Everyone smiled sheepishly and avoided eye contact.

Lance set his drink back down and sat up straighter. “Ok, ok. Never have I ever, gotten motion sick racing quadcopters.” He declared smugly.

Pidge looked over at Matt as he put a finger down and took a drink. “Really, Matty?”

Matt shrugged. “I was also drunk, so…” He trailed off as Lotor laughed next to him.

“Ok Shiro, you’re up.” Pidge said, still side eyeing her brother harshly.

Lance grunted in frustration as Shiro sat, deep in thought for a little too long. “Ok this is cheating but there’s a super obvious one.” He murmured, leaning over to whisper in Shiro’s ear.

Shiro’s face immediately flushed bright red, all the way to the tips of his ears. “Lance,” he whispered, “I… technically I can’t... “

Eyes widening in horror, Lance looked rapidly between Matt and Keith in shock. “Which one!?” He exclaimed, almost knocking his drink off the table as he flailed.

Matt went pale. “Oh no.” Keith and Lotor looked over at Matt as he buried his face in his hands. “Lance, I hate you.” He groaned.

“Ok, now you HAVE to tell us.” Pidge said smugly, sensing something very embarrassing was about to happen to Matt.

Shiro groaned. “Pidge, you _really_ don’t want to know.” His tone was grave.

Keith’s eyebrows furrowed and his heart was pounding with anxiety. “Lance, what did you tell him to say?” Pidge demanded. “It’s my birthday, you have to tell me.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

Lance looked between Shiro and Matt and grimaced. “I suggested _never have I ever, hooked up with my best friend._ ”

Keith’s mouth went dry at the words. Lotor laughed, pulling Matt’s hands away from his face. “When was this? Why didn’t you tell me?” He asked, amused.

Matt groaned. “Sophomore year. We both struck out at a party and one thing led to another. It was super weird and we agreed to never _ever_ talk about it _ever_ again.” He shook his head and stood up, going to get another drink.

Keith risked a glance over at Shiro and saw the hurt written plainly across his face. _He meant Matt… That’s why he was so upset about Matt’s birthday… and why he wanted to help me ‘get over’ Hunk… this whole time…_ Keith shook his head and drained the rest of his bottle of water to help him swallow down the lump in his throat.

“Whoa whoa, hold on. I gotta know something.” Lance said looking over at Matt with a cheeky grin.

Matt glared at him suspiciously as he mixed his drink. “I reserve the right to kick you in the teeth for whatever is about to come out of your mouth.” He threatened.

Lance nodded, but scooted a little closer to Allura, hoping for protection. “Is Shiro good in bed?” He asked with a smirk.

“Wow, Lotor is _right there!_ ” Matt protested, stomping back over to his seat.

“Yes, hi, I am also right here.” Shiro added, face almost purple with blush.

Lotor looked over at Shiro with an apologetic smile before nudging Matt. “Well, darling, answer the man, it’s the only good question he’s asked in his life.” He goaded.

Matt groaned as Lance warred internally between being happy he was getting his way and mad about the way it happened. “Yes, ok. Look at him. Of course he’s great in bed. Can we please never talk about this again? Thanks.”

Keith felt like he was going to be sick. He gritted his teeth while everyone else laughed. “Guys, enough!” He raised his voice just slightly. “Can we uh, keep going with the game? Neither of them are laughing. Seems messed up.” Keith amended, grumbling and crossing his arms.

Pidge adjusted her glasses. “I’ll allow it, but Shiro has to take a penalty drink.” She finally said with a sigh, putting another finger down and picking up her drink. Shiro and Matt were still blushing furiously as they drank.

“Wait did I have 4 fingers up or 3?” Shiro asked as he set his drink back down.

Keith took a small sip of the beer in front of him. “You should have 3.” He answered, clearing his throat. Shiro smiled at him, thanking him quietly.

Keith continued. “Ok, never have I ever, overloaded the washing machine and flooded the apartment.” He deadpanned, staring at Hunk.

Hunk put his final finger down with a grumble and drained his drink. “That was not very fun or fair, guys.” He pouted.

“Ok, I know Hunk is out so the point is moot, but Kitkat you had better take a drink for that.” Matt said with a laugh.

“What!? No. That was the _basement,_ not an apartment. Doesn’t count!” She protested loudly.

Keith sighed and stood up as they argued. “I’m not feeling so great guys, I think I’m gonna head home.” He announced to the group.

Hunk looked up at him with a  frown. “I’ll grab you some aspirin, buddy.” He  followed Keith up the stairs as everyone called their goodbyes.

Keith opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water once they got into the kitchen. “Did you know?” He asked just above a whisper.

Hunk shook his head vigorously. “No, I had no idea! I never would have guessed.” He put his hand on Keith’s shoulder and squeezed gently. “Are you ok, man?”

 _Sure, the guy I’m in love with is just in love with his other, practically married, best friend and not me. No big deal,_ Keith thought sarcastically as he drank a few sips of water. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. I’m just gonna go to bed.”

Hunk sighed and pulled him into a hug. “Let me know if you need me, brother, I got your back.” He murmured as he let Keith go.

Keith smiled up at him. “Thanks, ‘s fine really.” He waved as he headed back to his truck.

He gave himself a few moments to rest his head on the steering wheel and internally rage and grieve in turns before taking a steadying breath and heading home. _It’s fine, I have a ton of work to do anyway,_ he told himself as he drove just a little too fast down the empty streets.

..

Keith felt mostly better two weeks later as he made his way to Allura’s fancy Easter tea. He wasn’t crazy about getting all dressed up and drinking weird tea and eating weird-shaped sandwiches, but it was always nice to hang out with the group and Allura’s family was great.

He pulled into their estate and brought his car around their circular driveway, grabbing the bottle of wine he’d brought from the passenger seat before slamming the door closed. Walking on the grass felt almost sacrilegious it was so pristine, but he tromped his way around to the backyard anyway. Allura’s mother greeted him with a hug and a smile. “I’m so glad you could make it, dear!” She said, smoothing down his hair a little.

Chuckling and ducking his head, he offered up the bottle with a sheepish grin. “Glad to be here, Mrs. A.” She took the bottle without reading the label and tucked it under her arm.  

“Go on and say hello to Coran, love, he’s still fawning over that painting you did for him.” She said with a smile, nudging him towards the large group on the other end of the patio.

Keith noticed Shiro right away, chatting with Coran. His dark suit brought out his steel gray eyes and Keith had to swallow hard as he approached. “Hey guys.” He muttered, holding up a hand to wave.

“Oh Keith!” Coran held out his phone. “I was just showing Shiro, look how amazing that painting you did looks in my office.” Keith smiled at the photo. It hadn’t felt like anything special, just a simple still life of some flowers and fruit, but Coran loved it.

Keith zoomed in and out a few times as he examined the placement and the frame. “I’m glad you like it so much.” He said with a chuckle. “Picked a great spot for it, and the frame!” He handed the phone back with a grin.

“Hey! Welcome to the tea party!” Matt called, slinging an arm around Keith’s shoulders.

Keith shook his head and laughed, knowing the reprimand was coming.

Allura sighed. “He’s not even drunk, he’s just actually like that.” She murmured incredulously. “Thank you for joining us for a _proper Easter brunch._ ” Shooing Matt off of Keith she pulled him in for a quick hug. Keith smiled gratefully and thanked her for inviting him.  

“It’s more of a tea than a brunch, I’d say.” Lotor argued teasingly.

Allura rolled her eyes and pushed at his elbow lightly. Lance squirmed his way in between them. “Baby, I love your fancy tea party, it’s absolutely a proper brunch.” He said with a cheesy wink.

“You just called it a tea party.” She deadpanned, patting his cheek. “And why on Earth did you bring those godforsaken marshmallows?”

“Baby, they’re peeps! We’re bringing our cultures together!”

Allura plucked one of the pink sugary monstrosities from the bag he held up, wrinkling her nose at it. “Lance, you’re Cuban.” She said, dropping the peep back into the bag.

That set everyone off in a furious round of giggles. Keith followed everyone as they started filing onto the large outdoor table for some weird little sandwiches cut into triangles. Conversation buzzed around him as he tried a few different snacks and enjoyed his tea.

Keith frowned as he checked the time on his phone, not realizing half the morning had already gone by. Picking up one last delicious treat, he hummed in contentment. His eyes slid closed as he savored the bite.

They snapped back open as Shiro swore from across the table; he’d just spilled a mouthful of tea all down his blazer. Matt laughed as he grabbed his napkin and blotted at the stain on Shiro’s chest.

Keith wasn’t sure if his or Shiro’s face was redder. He stuffed the rest of the sandwich in his mouth in a hurry. “Sorry guys, I gotta jet. Promised my uncle I’d hang out with him tonight. Thanks for having me!” He rushed out, standing up.

Shiro swatted Matt’s hands away and stood up. “Keith, wait! I uh,” He cleared his throat and walked around the table. “I wanted to talk to you about something, mind if I walk with you to your car?” He asked quietly once everyone had said their goodbyes.

Keith nodded and headed back around the front of the house with Shiro right behind him. Once they were out of earshot, Shiro cleared his throat. “It’s been a couple weeks since we’ve really talked. I just wanted to make sure you were ok.” He said, obviously concerned.

Shrugging, Keith looked back towards his truck. “Yeah, just really busy. Lot of school stuff, lot to get ready for the internship.” He justified, willing his cheeks not to flush. “Figured you were super busy with work, too, so...” He trailed off.

Shiro put his hand on Keith’s shoulder and gently turned him. “Just… I’m never too busy for you, Keith. I hope you know that.” He said quietly, running his tongue over his bottom lip.

Keith smiled at him and couldn’t fight back the blush. “Yeah, of course. Really, I’m fine. We’ll hang out soon. Promise.” He held his hand out between them and Shiro smiled, taking it and pulling him into a one-armed hug.

“We better.” Shiro answered with a chuckle, letting go and stepping back. “Drive safe!” He called, turning around with a wave, heading to the backyard again. Keith swallowed hard as he buckled himself into the driver’s seat. _He just wants to be friends, he’s still hung up over Matt. Get it together,_ he thought disparagingly, shaking his head.

..

  


Keith pulled into his uncle’s driveway still reeling a little from Allura’s brunch. It was a nice reprieve as soon as he walked in the door and smelled the delicious melting cheese from Kolivan’s lasagne. “Ah, Keith. Perfect timing!” He called from the kitchen.

Walking through the house, Keith raised an eyebrow at the laptop Kolivan had set up on the table. Kolivan slid a plate of his infamous Easter Lasagne over to one of the open place setting and turned the laptop around. His mom’s smiling face was in a small box on the screen. “Mom!” Keith practically shouted as he slammed into the seat.

“Hi sweetheart! I don’t have long,” the audio fizzled a little as she spoke, “but I had to make sure I could wish you a happy Easter!” She was still in her fatigues and he couldn’t make out much of what was around her, but she seemed happy and safe.

It brought a smile to his face and left him feeling a little breathless. “Thanks, Sarge. Happy Easter.” He teased her with a mock salute.

Her sweet laugh was distorted, but it had Keith grinning all the same. “Thanks, kiddo. Though I can’t believe my sweet baby brother married such a cruel man.” She said, frowning towards Kolivan’s grinning face next to Keith. “Tantalizing me with his lasagne when I won’t be able to have any for months.” She tutted.

All three of them laughed as Kolivan smirked at her. They chatted as much as Krolia was allowed to about her day-to-day as they ate. It had been weeks since they’d spoken. “Oh, mom, before you go.” Keith started, a faint blush tinting his cheeks. “I uh, I got a really cool internship for the summer. Lots of great stuff to add to my portfolio.”

Kolivan turned to him and smiled wide, thumping a hand down on his shoulder and squeezing. “Thanks amazing, Keith! I’m so proud of you!” She replied, slightly distorted. Keith preened at the pride and affection in her voice.

“I was a bit worried.” Kolivan admitted, still smiling as he looked down at Keith. “I’m glad you’ve started focusing more on your school work and your career above other.. distractions” he said with a pause just long enough to bring a flush that had nothing to do with humility to Keith’s face.

There was a long pause before a man’s voice interjected in the background from Krolia’s end. “Sorry boys, duty calls.” She said apologetically. “Congratulations again, Keith. I’m so happy for you. All my love to you both.” She waved at the screen.

Kolivan and Keith said their goodbyes and signed off just after she did. Keith picked at the half piece of lasagna left on his plate. “What did you mean by _other distractions_?” He asked quietly, not meeting Kolivan’s eyes.

Kolivan sighed around his bite and looked at Keith pointedly. “I think we both know who I mean.” He replied.

Clearing his throat, Keith set his fork down. “He’s just a friend. And he’s not... distracting me from school or work, he helps me out a ton.” Keith defended.

Looking up at the ceiling for a moment, Kolivan turned his head back to Keith. “I know he’s your friend, and you care for each other deeply. I just meant that you’re going to graduate next year and maybe your love life isn’t what you should be focusing on.”

Keith’s cheeks burned. _Am I that transparent?_ He wondered, embarrassed. “Yeah, well, that’s not a problem anymore.” He grumbled.

Kolivan raised an eyebrow. “Is there something you’d like to talk about?” He asked.

Shaking his head, Keith stuffed another bite into his mouth. “My internship is pretty cool.” He changed the subject tactlessly.

Kolivan nodded. “Please, tell me all about it.” He offered with a smile.

The rest of the cozy dinner was spent with Keith gushing over the company he’d be working for and showing Kolivan various pictures and paintings and animations he’d done for school and for freelance work leaving Keith in much better spirits when he headed home.


	6. May

Keith had been so busy that he hadn’t realized it was Mother’s Day until his phone alerted him to expect his mom’s video call. His heart raced as he realized how much he was looking forward to having some time to talk, just the two of them. It had been several months since he’d last had his mom to himself for a few minutes and with everything that had been going on with Shiro, he was missing her comforting presence more and more each day. Turning on his laptop, he brushed away a few eraser shavings from his sketchbook. He smiled down at the picture he was drawing-  Shiro in his baseball uniform from high school.

A loud beep from his computer had him jumping out of his reverie and quickly hitting the answer button. “Hi mom!” He said with a grin, holding up a painting he’d made for her.

“Oh! Keith that’s lovely!” She cooed at the painting. It was a wide open meadow filled with her favorite flowers, blue jacket hyacinths.

“Happy Mother’s Day.” He said quietly, frowning slightly at the way the audio and video wavered. 

Krolia didn’t seem to notice. “Thanks, honey. I wish I could be there with you.” She replied sadly. 

He nodded. “I know. Me too.” 

As they chatted, the video continued to cut out randomly feeding Keith’s frustration as he missed more and more pieces of Krolia’s side of the conversation. After only a few short minutes, the line went completely dead. “Mom? Mom!” He shouted at the screen, clicking on the window several times to no avail. Sighing, he let his chin fall to his chest. It could be months before they got another video call, and there was so much more he wanted to talk to her about. 

He found himself suddenly feeling very alone in his empty apartment; Lance and Hunk had both gone home for the weekend. After a few moments though, a sharp tap came at his open bedroom door, and Keith snapped his head up to see Shiro smiling at him with a pizza box. 

“Hey, sorry. I let myself in to drop off dinner. I didn’t want to interrupt… are you okay?” Shiro asked. 

Keith stood up and pulled Shiro into a hug so tight he almost dropped the box. His left arm wrapped around Keith’s back and rubbed in soothing circles. 

“Thank you,” he sniffled, burying his face in Shiro’s shirt. 

Shiro pulled him closer and wrapped what he could of the arm holding the pizza around his back as well. “She’ll be home before you know it, Keith. You just have to hold on a little longer.” He murmured into Keith’s hair. 

Keith nodded and stepped back. His eyes were dry, but red rimmed. “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right.” 

Shiro shook the box between them with a sad smile. “Pizza and Red vs Blue break?” He asked hopefully. 

Sniffling again, Keith rubbed at his face with his sleeve- Shiro’s sleeve, he remembered as he looked down at the hoodie he had on. “Yeah, that sounds great.” He cleared his throat and his eyes widened as he saw Shiro peer over at his desk. 

“Is that me?” Shiro asked, handing a stunned Keith the box and walking over to Keith’s sketchbook. He held it up and smiled. “Keith, this is really cool. Is it for class?” He asked, turning back to Keith. 

Keith nodded. “Yeah, uh,” he licked his lips, “dynamic figure study.” He mumbled out, face bright red. “I hope you don’t mind.” 

Shiro grinned and set it back down on the desk. “Not at all! You know I love it when you draw me.” He said with a laugh, taking the box back from Keith and moving into the living room. 

Taking a steadying breath, Keith debated changing into a different hoodie, but thought better of it. He followed Shiro back into the living room and saw that he’d already pulled up their show and scooted the coffee table closer. “Just kick me out when you need to get back to work.” Shiro said with a grin, pulling a piece of pizza into his mouth. 

Keith sat down next to him and chuckled as he grabbed his own slice, “I can take a few hours off, I’m getting really close to finishing my final projects.” 

Shiro stayed until long after Keith would normally have gone to bed. They laughed along with the silly show for hours, demolishing the entire large pie. It was nice after not having spent much time with Shiro since Easter. Eventually Shiro’s arm finally beeped its low battery warning. “Well, that’s my cue. Don’t want to turn into a one-armed pumpkin.” He said with a laugh. 

“Thanks again for coming over, I can’t tell you how much it means to me.” Keith said with a shy smile. 

Shiro ducked his head a little and smiled back. “Anytime.” He replied quietly. They stared at each other on the couch for a long moment before Shiro’s arm beeped again. 

Swearing under his breath, Shiro stood up and moved to the door. “Good luck on finals.” He said turning back with a hopeful half-smile. “We still on for Friday?” 

“Yeah, absolutely.” Keith said with a thumbs up and a wide grin. Shiro patted the doorframe and headed out with a wave.

..

Friday couldn’t come fast enough- Keith had two long, drawn out exams about the history of animation and color theory respectively, as well as two huge portfolio presentations for his other classes. By 3:30, he was finished and practically crawling to Shiro’s apartment. 

He knocked on Shiro’s door and leaned his forehead against it. Just as he expected, Shiro caught him with a laugh as he tipped forward when it opened. 

“Hey, you survived!” He said excitedly, pushing Keith gently upright. “The living room has been outfitted for maximum chill: We have beer. We have mac and cheese. We have cherry coke. And the pièce de résistance,” He gestured towards the TV, already showing the title screen for Portal 2. “Co-op portal, complete with extra batteries already out of the blister pack.” 

Keith stumbled over to the couch and flopped down onto the ultra-soft Tuxedo Mask blanket already laid where he normally sat. “Ugh, I’m writing you in for president.” He grumbled.

Shiro laughed and handed him a controller. “Make America Swole Again.” He said, flexing his biceps and laughing. 

Keith returned the laugh and tossed a pillow at him, “God, why are you like this.”  

Grabbing one of the spoons out of the large pot sitting on an oven mitt, Shiro dumped a huge bite of mac and cheese into his mouth and started up the game. “I’m hilarioush and you shnow ish.” He said, grinning around the spoon and the food. 

Keith shook his head and grabbed a bite as well as they watched the opening cinematic. They worked through a few levels before Shiro spoke up. “So, you're a free man. How's it feel?” He asked with grin. 

Groaning, Keith sank lower in his seat. “I don't want to hear a single art word or color for the next 72 hours.” 

Shiro smirked. “Guess I shouldn't ask what's got you so blue, then?” Keith retaliated by opening a portal into an acid pit. “Point taken.” Shiro grumbled as his character respawned. 

Keith chuckled. “Sorry. Reflex from playing with Lance.” He helped Shiro get back from the starting area. “Distract me with your life, I need to think about anything but school.”  

Shiro laughed. “Well I had a super fun talk with Matt this morning.” He began sarcastically, making Keith sit up a little straighter. “He called while I was on break and asked if I would help him plan Lotor’s birthday party!” Shiro missed a jump and ended up back in the acid pit. “I didn’t respond the greatest... I was kind of shitty, actually.” He grimaced as they tried the section for the third time. “I told him ‘No way! He’s probably planning some elaborate vacation to  _ Spain _ or something!’,” Shiro practically shouted.

Keith sighed in relief as they finally made it across. “Ouch... Not that he doesn’t deserve it.” Keith agreed, voice a little heated. “What did he say?” 

Shiro slumped a little bit and rolled his shoulders. “He said ‘why would we go to Spain, I’m Italian’,” he deadpanned. 

Keith set his controller down. “ _ Wow,  _ really?” He couldn’t believe the nerve Matt had.

“Yeah, we talked it over after I almost hung up on him.” Shiro rubbed his hands through his hair. “I feel like such a baby being so mad about it this long, turns out Matt had no idea Lotor didn’t check with us first.” He shook his head, and Keith’s heart sank a little. He didn’t  _ want  _ Shiro to be fighting with Matt, but… Shiro continued before he could finish the petty thought. “He promised to give Lotor an ear-full when he got home.” 

Picking his controller up again, Keith swallowed hard. “That’s good. You gonna help Matt?” He asked hesitantly.

Shiro sighed and grabbed his, too. “I don’t know yet. Probably.” He grumbled. 

Shiro changed the subject to the gym and his dreams and visions for opening his own someday. He wanted to make it disability-friendly and eventually try to get licensed physical therapists on staff and Keith listened to him talk with stars in his eyes. “It would be so great, Keith. Way too many people think that just because you’re in a wheelchair or missing a limb that you can’t do a ton of stuff! I don’t know how I would have made it through life like that.” He said softly. “Anyway, sorry I’m rambling.” 

Keith smiled at him fondly. “Ramble away, ‘s great to hear you talk about this stuff. It’s such a good idea.” 

Shiro ducked his eyes under his bangs. “Thanks,” he murmured quietly, cheeks flushing pink. 

They decided to take a break from the game and make another batch of mac and cheese; the original pot was long-since depleted. Shiro rinsed it free of the cheesy residue as Keith gathered the ingredients. Just as they put the clean pot on the stove to boil, a few sharp taps sounded at Shiro’s door. They looked at each other quizzically before Shiro shrugged and went to answer it. 

Lotor’s guilty face greeted him from the other side. “Sorry for dropping by unannounced, would you mind terribly if I came in?” He asked, wringing his hands. 

Keith could practically feel Shiro warring with slamming the door in his face, but he opened it wider instead. “Come on in, Keith and I are just celebrating the end of his finals.” He said coldly. 

“Oh good, I’m glad you’re here, too.” Lotor said genuinely with an exhausted sigh. “I owe you both a rather large apology.” He admitted looking between them. 

Shiro crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, not looking impressed. 

Keith found himself stuck in the middle of the awkward tension as Lotor continued. “I should have realized that you would have spent a great deal of time planning something for Matthew’s birthday. It was thoughtless and rude of me to not tell you that I was planning to surprise him with a trip.” He cleared his throat. “I have been rightly and thoroughly informed that is was a uh,” licking his lips and clasping his hands behind his back he continued, looking straight ahead, “ _ major dick move. _ ” 

Keith and Shiro both sat in stunned silence for a moment before bursting into gut-busting fits of laughter. Lotor hummed in resignation as they got it out of their systems. 

“Ok, ok. It was worth it just to hear you say that.” Shiro said, pretending to wipe a tear from his eye. “I won’t lie to you,” he started more seriously as he stood up, “I’ve been pretty mad about it since March, but thank you for apologizing. It really means a lot.” Shiro held out his hand. 

Lotor grabbed it and smiled. “I often find that in my zeal to impress, I can be careless. Your friendship is very important to me, I hope this doesn’t change things.” He said, glancing between them as he spoke. “You’re both so close with Matthew, I’d hate to find I’d tarnished everything.” He finished sincerely. 

Shiro smirked and pulled him in for a hug. “Come ‘ere you big lug.” He said with a laugh. “Keith, get in here, don’t make it weird.” Shiro motioned for him. 

Keith shook his head and laughed, joining the awkward group hug. “We’re fine, don’t worry about it.” He mumbled into Shiro’s chest. 

They all pulled apart after a moment and Lotor stepped away with an awkward cough. “Thank you both, really.” After a brief pause, he gestured towards the tv and moved towards the door. “I’ll let you get back to celebrating.” 

They said their goodbyes and wished Lotor a good night before getting back to the neglected mac and cheese. “That was really cool of him.” Shiro said with wistful smile and added quietly, “Matt’s a lucky guy.” 

Keith swallowed hard and stirred the noodles with a little more vigor than was necessary. “Yeah, they’re really great together.” He agreed, not looking over at Shiro’s face. It would have hurt too much to see a longing or sad expression there, so he kept stirring. 

Shiro put his hand over Keith’s on the spoon, stilling it. “Are you ok?” Shiro looked worried. 

Shaking his head, Keith chuckled awkwardly. “Yeah, yeah, I’m... Sorry, it was making a cool whirlpool thing.” His face turned red.

Shiro laughed and patted him on the shoulder. “Never change, Keith. Seriously.” Keith looked over as Shiro turned around to the fridge and pulled out two beers for them. 

They spent the rest of the evening not talking about school (or Matt, thankfully), and by the time Keith was about to head home to start packing for his internship, he almost felt like a real person again. Shiro gave him a tight hug as he left and held him by the shoulders when they parted. “Seriously Keith, I am so proud of you. You’re gonna do great.” He said with a big smile. 

Keith blushed. “Thanks, Shiro.” He nodded at the door. “‘S late, I should…” He trailed off. 

Shiro let go with a chuckle. “Right. Two weeks til you head out.” He patted Keith awkwardly on the shoulder. “Drive safe.” Keith hoped he wasn’t imagining the fondness in Shiro’s eyes.

Keith’s heart didn’t stop threatening to beat out of his chest until he pulled into his own driveway. He suddenly had no idea what to do again. Shaking his head, he hurried into his room and dove into his bed.  _ Maybe when I get back from my internship? Shiro seemed like he was sure Matt and Lotor are soulmates or whatever _ , he scoffed, turning over in bed.  _ I know his favorite kind of cheese but I have no idea how he feels about me. _

Keith dreamt of walking around the beach at sunset, holding Shiro’s hand. They were dressed up as complementary halves of a wheel of cheese. When he woke up, he vowed to never again eat so much mac and cheese in one sitting for the rest of his life.

..

  
  


Keith pulled into the parking lot at Matt and Lotor’s place right next to Allura’s bubble-gum pink jeep and laughed to himself as he saw her and Lance scream-singing along to something on the radio and dancing together. He beeped the horn and they both jumped, turning towards him with matching laughs and waves. 

He got out of his truck and grabbed Lotor’s present off the passenger seat. “What’s the duet for the day?” Keith asked with a grin as they got out of her car. 

Allura grinned as Lance started dancing again. “Starships were meant to flyyyy! Hands up and touch the sky!” He sang out, spinning around and bowing with flourish. 

Allura took his hand and pulled him in for a quick kiss as she giggled at his antics. “Did you remember the tickets?” She asked quietly. Lance patted his back pocket and winked. “Thanks, love.” She turned to Keith and smiled, pulling him into a quick hug. “I can’t believe we won’t see you for almost a  _ month _ after tonight.” She said sadly. 

Keith blushed and shrugged. “It’ll go by quick.” He kicked at the asphalt instead of looking her in the eyes. 

Lance punched him lightly in the shoulder. “You better kick ass.” He said with a smirk. But before Keith could reply, he gestured up to Matt and Lotor’s door. “Come on, we’re already fashionably on time.” He said with a wink, taking Allura’s hand again. 

Hunk, Pidge, and Shiro were already there when they walked in. Lotor tutted at Allura as he saw her outfit. “I specifically said the dress code was sweatpants.” 

Allura fixed him with an unimpressed look. “Leggings are close enough. They even have pockets!” She protested, demonstrating by pulling the fabric at her hip. 

Lotor hummed in thought. “Fine. I’ll allow it, I suppose.” He teasingly glared at her. 

Lance stepped conspicuously in between them. “Hey buddy, happy birthday!” Grabbing the pair of tickets out of his pocket, he thrusted them into Lotor’s chest. 

He examined them suspiciously for a moment before his face softened. “This is so thoughtful, thank you.” Allura and Lance both grinned. “Matthew! We have season tickets to that botanical garden.” He called to Matt in the living room. 

“Aw, the one with all the butterflies, where we went for our first date?” Matt asked over the swearing and sound effects of the heated Mario Kart match. 

Lance grinned. “The very same! I found a picture with the name in the background when I was,” he stopped and pursed his lips mid-sentence, looking over apologetically at Keith, “when I was stalking Matt’s facebook for memes?” He finished awkwardly. 

Keith laughed and shook his head. “I guess it’s my turn.” He handed the box in his hands to Lotor. Everyone else filed in from the living room to watch Lotor unwrap it. 

He pulled the lid off once the purple wrapping paper had been discarded into Lance’s waiting hands. “Is it,” Lotor tilted the rectangular object around in his hands, “some kind of tablet?”

Keith blushed and flipped a switch on the back, illuminating the screen. “Digital picture frame. Hunk helped fix it up and everyone pitched in a couple of awesome group photos. I edited them and set it to slide show.” Lotor looked up at him with an appreciative, soft smile. “Figured you could keep it on your desk or something.” He finished with a shrug. 

“This is lovely, thank you all so much.” Lotor said squeezing Keith’s shoulder and holding the frame close to his chest. “It’s perfect, I love it.” 

Keith smiled back at him. “Happy birthday.” He replied quietly. 

Finally noticing the game sitting on the main menu in the living room, Lance snapped to attention. “Oh, dibs on next round!” He called, hurrying to the couch. 

They went through several rounds of Mario Kart before Shiro and Keith finally ended up watching at the same time. “I’m glad Lotor liked the picture frame.” Bumping Keith’s shoulder with his own, Shiro held his beer up like a toast. “Great idea.” 

Keith knocked his can of cherry coke up against Shiro’s bottle. “Couldn’t have done it without everyone’s help.” He said shyly before they both drank. 

“You would have thought of something just as good.” Shiro assured fondly. “Not drinking tonight?” He asked, eyebrow raised. 

_ I forgot to remind him,  _ Keith’s eyes widened for a moment and he rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, I uh,” he licked his lips, “I leave tomorrow morning for my internship, so,” 

Shiro cleared his throat. “Oh, I… I didn’t realize that was tomorrow.” The disappointment in his tone confused and touched Keith in equal parts as Shiro continued. “Well, it’s gonna be a boring summer without you around, but I’m so proud of you.” 

Keith’s shoulders straightened at the praise and he couldn’t keep the smile from his lips. 

“You’ll have to tell me when the game comes out, I’ll buy ten copies.” 

Keith laughed. “Hopefully it doesn’t suck.”

Shaking his head, Shiro took another sip from his drink. “With you working on it? It’ll be incredible.” He assured. 

Keith bumped their shoulders together again and laughed. Before he could think of what to say in response, Lotor cleared his throat loudly and dramatically, clanking a spoon against his beer bottle.

“Everyone, we’ll be playing a game now!” Lotor announced to the group at large. 

Keith sighed, not being able to drink much because of his long drive in the morning kind of put a damper on drinking games. Lotor finished his beer and gestured to the large table in the dining room. “I suggest, spin the bottle.” He shook the droplets from his empty beer into his mouth before recapping it. 

“Spin the bottle? Really?” Lance asked as he sat down next to Allura. “I’m not kissing Keith!” He huffed indignantly. 

Lotor grimaced and looked over at him with a frown. “Believe me, absolutely nobody wants that to happen.” He said with thinly veiled disgust.

“Au contraire, l'amour de ma vie. I think it would be hilarious!” Matt spoke up with a smirk in a terrible, over exaggerated French accent before taking a heavy pull from his beer. Everyone else filed into the dining room to take their seats. 

Lotor wrinkled his nose. “Darling, you know I love you, but your French is abysmal and your opinion is worse.” He groaned dramatically, setting his empty bottle on the table. 

Various groans and protests broke out amongst the group. Pidge stuck her fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly to shut everyone up. “If Lotor wants to play truth or dare, we’re playing truth or dare.” She huffed, crossing her arms. Everyone begrudgingly quieted down. 

“Thank you, Katherine.” Lotor said with a more genuine smile in her direction.

  
Pidge wrinkled her nose. “I was this close,” she held her thumb and forefinger a few millimeters apart, “to liking you. Now we’re back to  _ mildly tolerating. _ ”

Lotor grimaced. “My apologies. Katie?” She scrunched up her face farther. “Pidge.” She nodded shallowly a few times, and Lotor blew out a puff of air. 

Matt laughed and patted Lotor on the shoulder consolingly before he filled the penalty shot full of Fireball and set it in front of Lance.

“Hey!” Lance protested. 

“You always bitch out of every dare, don’t play.” Matt said, holding up a hand while everyone laughed and Lance pouted indignantly. “Birthday bae, you are up.” He gestured to the bottle, grinning at Lotor.

Lotor took it and closed his eyes before spinning. He cracked one open just as it slowed down in front of Pidge. She looked over at him appraisingly. “Well,  _ Pidge,  _ truth or dare?” He asked, a challenging fire in his eyes. 

Pidge wasn’t scared, just cautious. “I’ll take truth.” She decided, adjusting her glasses. 

Rubbing his hands together in front of him, Lotor pondered the question. “What would you do if I called you Kitkat?” He asked, trying not to smirk.  

Glaring, she deadpanned, “I’d cut your hair in your sleep.”  

He gasped and pulled back in horror. “You wouldn’t.” He said incredulously. 

“Wouldn’t I?” She asked with an impish grin. 

Matt looked pale. “Ok, how about let’s never find out.” He chuckled nervously. “Spin that bottle, Kitkat.” He drained his beer. 

Pidge leaned over and spun it- everyone watched in trepidation as it slowed. Pidge had a near encyclopedic knowledge of everyone, including their deepest fears; it made her a dangerous truther and an even more dangerous darer. It landed on Allura, who gulped audibly. “Truth or dare, Allie?” She asked with a sly grin. 

Allura steeled herself. “Dare. I’m up for your challenge!” She said confidently, clenching her jaw as soon as the words left her mouth. 

Pidge adjusted her glasses again, the light glinted off them in a way that brought shivers down Keith’s spine. “I dare you,” She paused for dramatic effect, “to go drink a glass of milk.” 

Allura grimaced as she stood. “I hate this game.” She mumbled as she trekked to the kitchen, coming back with the glass. “To Pidge!” She declared, holding her drink up and pinching her nose. She chugged the whole cup and then slammed it back on the table, face a little green. 

Pidge cackled and slid the bottle her way. “Good job, strong start.” She praised. 

Allura smiled and took her spin, landing on Matt. She raised her eyebrows and stared at him pointedly. “Pick your poison, Matt.”

Matt hummed in thought and brought his hand to his chin. “Well, I’m incapable of feeling shame anymore, so hit me with some truth.” He finally decided. 

Allura smirked. “How did you and Lotor  _ really _ meet?”  

Matt cackled as Lotor grabbed the shot from in front of Lance and downed it. Matt filled it back up and smiled. “Well, it was fall semester sophomore year, I was working tech for Romeo and Juliet, as you well remember, Allura.” He looked over at Lotor, whose face was buried in his hands. “He was Romeo, and was supposed to be reading his romantic lines to Juliet,” He gestured to Allura. “But he was reading them up at the tech booth instead, where I was. Coran called him on it and he shouted his undying love for the cute tech boy with uh, what was it babe?” Matt asked with a grin. “Golden hair, like uh,” he faltered, snapping his fingers. 

Lotor took the second shot and grimaced. “Golden hair not to be outshone even by the sun’s light, I believe it was.” He answered in deadpan. 

Matt smiled. “It sure was. And a bunch of other mushy stuff.” He smiled sweetly at Lotor’s face, gone nearly purple in embarrassment. “And we’ve been together ever since.” 

Allura and Lance were nearly in tears, laughing while leaned up against each other. Everyone else was having fun laughing at the full story as well. As far as Keith could remember, Matt and Lotor had only ever said ‘ _ drama club in college’  _ when asked how they met _. _

Once everyone settled, Matt spun the bottle. It landed on Lance. He filled the shot Lotor had drained once again and set it in front of him. “Truth or dare? Or do you wanna just bitch out now and drink like you always do?”

Lance scoffed and puffed out his chest. “I can do anything you can think of!” He exclaimed. “I pick dare!” 

Matt rolled his eyes. “Ok, I dare you to kiss Keith.” 

“Wait, what?” Keith said in horror as Lance’s eyes went wide. 

Lance stood up and pointed down at Matt. “That’s not fair! I just said I  _ wasn’t  _ gonna do that!” He protested loudly.

Matt shrugged. “Then drink, bitch.” He answered with a smirk. 

Lance groaned and sat down, taking the shot with a loud exhale. “You’re lucky I’m such a nice guy, Keith. I just didn’t wanna ruin your first kiss.” He said as he spun. 

Keith glared. “I’ve kissed people!” He defended, crossing his arms over his chest. 

The bottle landed on him. Lance smirked. “Fine, who was your first kiss then?”

Keith frowned. “What if I pick dare?” He countered. 

“Then I  _ dare  _ you to tell us about your first kiss.” Lance said with wry smile. 

Keith rolled his eyes. “That’s so lame.” He grumbled. His eyes darted over to Shiro, who was staring at him with thinly veiled interest.  _ Damn, I was hoping he wouldn’t remember,  _ Keith thought to himself as he sighed. “Fine, it was junior year of highschool.” He admitted, cheeks already pink. “With Shiro.” He stared down at the table. 

“Wait what?” Shiro asked incredulously. “Keith, are you sure? I, I feel like I would have remembered that.” He sputtered. 

_ Why was he looking at me like that if he didn’t remember?  _ Keith frowned. “Yeah, you and Matt snuck me into that Pike party so I could be your DD. It was your first frat party as freshmen.” 

Shiro blinked and stared. “No, Matt threw up on my shoes and you drove us home. We didn’t… I didn’t kiss you.” He stammered out. 

Keith shrugged. “Not surprised you don’t remember. You were hammered.” He took a deep breath as everyone stared. “I drove them both back after Matt puked and helped get him into bed.” He looked back over at Shiro, both of their faces were bright red. “You were uh,” Keith swallowed hard, “really thankful, I guess.” He glared at the can of cherry coke as he finished it, wishing his drive tomorrow wasn’t so long so he could get drunk enough to never remember this conversation. “I pushed you off and made you drink a glass of water before going to sleep.” He finished quietly. 

Silence filled the room; no one knew what to say. 

Except, as ever, Lance. “So,” he started awkwardly, shifting his eyes around the table. “Is Shiro a good kisser?” 

Keith’s eyes widened and he sputtered. 

“Lance!” Allura and Matt shouted at the same time.

“What? Now we have two opinions! We can compare! It’s science!” He countered. 

Keith had kissed several people since that night, but none of them had compared to Shiro. There was no way he could say something like that in front of everyone, though, so he shrugged. “He was really drunk, so,” He trailed off, face heating up. 

Shiro looked at him with wide eyes and a bright red face. “Wait, am I a bad kisser?” He asked quietly, horrified. Staring off above Keith’s head into the living room behind him, he looked down at the drink in his hand. “And also kind of an alcoholic?” He cringed. 

“Yes!” Pidge groaned. “You’re all alcoholics! No more drinking at friendship events.” She declared. 

Lotor scoffed, but Matt grimaced and looked over at him. “We did kind of almost get arrested on St. Patrick’s day.” He said uncomfortably. “And April Fool’s day. And after dinner with your parents yesterday.” The list grew uncomfortably long and Lotor silenced him with a look. 

Pidge crossed her arms. “All in favor of no more alcohol at friendship events until the end of the year, raise your hand.” She stated authoritatively, holding her own left hand in the air. 

Everyone raised their hands except Lance. “Ok, yeah, that’s all well and good, but we’re losing sight of what’s important here.” He crossed his arms. “Matt,  _ is Shiro a good kisser. _ ” 

Matt groaned. “You are weirdly invested in this.” He shook his head judgmentally. “If you wanna know so bad, kiss him yourself.” 

Lance sputtered and looked between Matt and Shiro wildly. 

“Yeah, that’s not happening.” Shiro deadpanned, finishing his drink and standing up. “And with that, I am uh, never drinking again, wow.” He dropped the bottle into Lotor’s recycling with a heavy sigh. 

It stung a little, though Keith tried to shake it off. Shiro realizing that alcohol had been the catalyst for their kiss and then immediately swearing it off forever was going to occupy his mind for most of the drive tomorrow, he knew. He stood and gave Lotor the most sincere smile he could muster. “Happy birthday, man. I gotta finish packing, shipping out tomorrow.” He chuckled. “I’ll see you guys in like a month.” He smiled and thanked everyone as they wished him good luck and a safe drive. 

Shiro followed him to the door and pulled him into a quick hug. “You’re gonna knock ‘em dead, Keith.” He said with a sad smile. “Take care, ok? Call if you need anything.” 

Keith smiled back and nodded. “Don’t worry, I will.” Shiro held the door for him as he walked out of the apartment. As soon as the door shut behind him, Keith let out a heavy sigh.  _ Hey, at least I’ll be gone for a month. Maybe that’ll give Shiro plenty of time to get over it.  _ He shook his head as he got into his truck.  _ Or it’ll be super weird and he won’t want to be friends anymore,  _ the darker side of his subconscious added. Keith ignored both thoughts and turned the radio as loud as it would go. 


	7. June

After such a long drive back to his apartment, Keith was ready to crawl into bed- work slacks and polo be damned. He’d told Hunk he didn’t need a welcoming committee, but he recognized his friends’ cars in the parking lot as he pulled in with a sigh. It wasn’t that he wasn’t glad to see them, he was just tired. Grabbing his backpack and tossing it over his shoulder, he plastered a smile onto his face and headed inside. 

Opening the door, he was immediately pounced on by 7 sets of arms. He laughed and squeezed back against Pidge and Shiro, since they’d been the fastest to the draw. “Hey guys,” he breathed out. His voice sounded as tired as his smile looked. Meeting Shiro’s eyes and seeing his excited smile, he swallowed hard and tried to think of something to say.

He hadn’t noticed Hunk pulling away from the throng and scurrying into the kitchen until he’d returned with a giant casserole dish of Keith’s absolute favorite food: twice baked macaroni and cheese. “Gooey center, crunchy top, 100% perfect.” Hunk jiggled the tray a little as he spoke, stealing Keith’s attention entirely away from Shiro. 

Keith felt his mouth watering as he watched Hunk take the dish to the small table in the corner of their combined dining and living area. By the time Keith managed to extract himself from the hug and make his way over, Hunk already had a huge plateful ready for him. 

“Thank youuuu,” Keith groaned happily, shoveling as much into his mouth at once as he could.

Everyone filtered around and asked him a thousand questions, which he stubbornly answered around his full mouth. He felt dead on his feet after the heavy meal but soldiered on for an hour as everyone tried to fit 3 weeks of gossip into one evening. 

The third time he’d had to ask Pidge what she was even talking about, Shiro interjected with a frown. “Guys, let him breathe. He’s clearly exhausted.” 

Lance and Hunk looked at each other and shared a private smile that immediately brought a sense of dread Keith felt deep in his bones. 

“Yeah, Keith, you should get to bed.” Lance said with an evil grin. 

Sighing, Keith stood up and headed into his bedroom to see what horror they had unleashed. He opened the door and immediately regretted it. Every single object in his room had been completely wrapped in tinfoil, and then covered in pictures of Billy Ray Cyrus. 

He looked up at the ceiling and sighed. “Guys… I’m so tired…”  

Shiro appeared behind him with a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Why don’t I deal with this on Sunday. We’re all gonna hang out at my place tomorrow anyway, just stay over tonight.” He offered. 

Keith looked up at him openly in awe. “You. Are the best person. Ever.” He was so relieved he thought he might cry. 

Shiro laughed and shook his head. “I don’t know about all that, but you do need some sleep. Come on.” 

Keith followed gratefully behind him as he turned to head back to the living room where Hunk and Lance stood waiting for them at the end of the hall, smug grins on their faces. 

“Har-har, assholes.” Keith murmured, brushing past them while Shiro fixed them both with a disapproving glare before following. 

“Aw, come on, Keith!” Hunk protested, turning to follow Keith and Shiro. “It’s funny and you know it.” 

Keith shook his head. “I’m too tired for this.” He grumbled. “Consider yourselves threatened.” 

Lance and Hunk chuckled nervously and followed them back out to the living room where the group solidified the following evening’s plans. Keith hadn’t paid attention to a single word of it, all of his energy was spent trying not to fall asleep on his feet. Shiro grabbed his backpack with a chuckle and led him out to his car. Keith fell asleep before they made it out of the parking lot. 

Shiro laid his hand gently on Keith’s shoulder, jolting him awake. “Hey, sorry, we’re here.” Shiro said in a calm, soothing voice. 

Keith let out a big yawn. “Sorry, didn’t mean to fall asleep.” He replied, dragging himself out of the car. 

Shiro opened the door for him and handed Keith his backpack. “Go ahead and take my bed, I can survive a night on the couch.” 

Rolling his eyes, Keith waved a dismissive hand at Shiro. “Don’t be weird, we can both sleep in your bed.” He was too tired to overthink the situation. 

“Are you sure?” Shiro asked uncertainly. 

Keith answered with an inarticulate grunt to the affirmative, already headed to the bedroom. He was asleep before he could tell if Shiro had followed him.

.. 

Shiro’s bed was a lot more comfortable than the extended-stay hotel’s, with its scratchy sheets and chemical smell. It was soft and smelled like Shiro’s shampoo and warm from both of them huddled under the covers all night. Keith awoke that morning with a cozy feeling, glad Shiro had decided to forgo the couch. 

Sunlight filtered in through the cracks in Shiro’s curtains, leaving bright lines across his cheeks and forehead that Keith longed to trace with his fingers. He allowed himself a moment’s indulgence to enjoy the sight before poking Shiro lightly in the cheek. 

Shiro grumbled and twitched his right shoulder as if to push Keith’s hand away, frowning and finally cracking his eyes open when the pressure on his face didn’t go away. He looked up and saw Keith’s amused smile as his shoulder instinctively moved again. Realizing his prosthetic arm was still in the living room, Shiro narrowed his eyes and clicked his teeth at Keith’s finger, pretending to bite it. 

Jerking his hand back with a laugh, Keith tossed the covers over Shiro’s head and scrambled out of bed. 

“Yeah, you better run!” Shiro playfully shouted, getting out of bed much less hurriedly.

Keith was already pulling two bowls down from the cabinet when Shiro stumbled into the living room to put on his prosthetic. He opened Shiro’s tiny pantry and smiled as he pulled out a box of cereal. “Lucky Charms, nice.” He shook the box towards Shiro with a smile. 

Shiro walked into the kitchen flexing the fingers on his right hand. “Your favorite, right?” Bumping Keith’s shoulder as he walked past, Shiro headed to the fridge for the milk. 

“Yeah,” Keith said quietly as he filled their bowls. The thought of Shiro keeping his favorite cereal on hand brought a faint blush to his cheeks. 

Shiro smiled as he poured the milk for their breakfast. “So,” he started, turning to Keith with a serious expression, “cartoons?” 

Keith’s face perked up immediately. “Lead the way.” 

They sat on the couch together, eating cereal in their t-shirts and boxers, laughing at  _ Thundercats  _ and enjoying each other’s company as the morning went by. A few episodes in they’d both had their fill of nostalgia but weren’t inclined to do much of anything else. 

“So, how’s the internship going?” Shiro asked, ignoring the campy, action-packed fight on the screen. 

Keith shrugged. “Pretty cool.” He didn’t want to bore Shiro with the technical details. “The game is gonna be really fun.” 

Shiro smiled and nodded along. “You getting along with everyone so far?” He asked with a pointed look that made Keith roll his eyes. 

Keith frowned and shrugged again. “Mostly.” he didn’t want to lie to Shiro but the thought of being honest brought a chill down his spine. “There’s this one guy,” Keith trailed off, unable to find the words to continue. 

“Is he being mean to you?” Shiro asked, eyebrows furrowing. 

Eyes widening with a telling sigh, Keith looked down at the cushions between them. “Not… exactly. Kinda the opposite.” He hoped his face wasn’t as red as it felt. 

“Oh.” Shiro replied in surprise, clearing his throat. “So are you…?” He didn’t get the chance to finish before Keith interjected. 

“No, no.” Keith held up his hands defensively. “We didn’t,” he stammered, “we aren’t.” Shaking his head, he took a quick breath before starting over. “A bunch of us went for drinks after work and he said I was hot and tried to kiss me.” Keith’s heart hammered like a hummingbird’s wings in his chest. “But nothing happened. It was just weird.” 

Shiro chuckled as Keith finished his story, unable to meet Keith’s eyes. “That… seems to happen to you an awful lot.” He paused, letting an awkward silence stretch between them for a long moment. “Keith, I’m,” Shiro sighed and ran his hand through his hair, “I’m so sorry about that. I still feel terrible. I had no idea.” 

Keith swallowed hard. “It’s fine. I never mentioned it before because it’s not a big deal.” He crossed his arms and looked up at Shiro’s remorseful face. “You were trashed, it didn’t mean anything.” The words hurt to admit out loud. 

“Right.” Shiro agreed, far too quickly for Keith’s liking. “Well. Maybe… you should give that guy a shot?” 

The suggestion felt like ice in Keith’s veins. “Yeah, maybe I will.” He agreed quietly, knowing he had no intention of doing so. Tapping at his phone screen, he checked the time. It was still far too early to get ready for their friends to arrive, but Keith desperately wanted the conversation to end. “Anyway, care if I shower?” He asked, standing up before Shiro had a chance to answer. 

“Yeah, go ahead.” Keith heard behind him, already halfway to the bathroom. 

Shiro had gotten dressed and cleaned up their breakfast by the time Keith was finished with his shower. He felt a little bad for not helping Shiro with the mess, small as it was, but he was worried Shiro would want to continue their earlier conversation. Thankfully, he was content to pretend it never happened, which suited Keith just fine. 

“Hunk said he and Pidge would be over at 6, so they'll be over at 5:30.” Shiro started as soon as Keith sat back down on the couch. “And Matt said he and Lotor would be over at 6, so they'll be here sometime between 6:30 and 8.” 

Keith chuckled. “Let me guess, Allura said she'd be here with Lance at 6, so they'll get here at 6?” They shared a knowing, amused look and everything felt like it had fallen back into place. 

“Bingo.” Shiro answered, setting his phone to silent. “Leaving the question: what should we do today?” 

Their normal hangout routine was sitting on the couch playing video games or watching movies, but Keith had been doing too much sitting for his liking the past few weeks. “Go to the park? Frisbee or something?” He suggested. 

Shiro looked elated at the idea. “Yeah, definitely.” He agreed. 

They whiled away the afternoon walking to and from the park, throwing the frisbee around, and catching up on the weeks they'd been separated. It was easy and calm and it grounded Keith in a way he didn't realize he'd needed until the serenity of the relaxing day came to a crashing halt when Pidge and Hunk walked through Shiro's door. 

“I hope you guys are hungry, because we are loaded up!” Pidge called with a wide grin, shutting the door behind her with an elbow. “Hunk and I made a bet, how much fast food have you had since you left?” 

Keith stammered, standing up to help with the many dishes they both carried. “Uh, some? Mostly dinner. A lot.” His cheeks were pink. 

“Told you!” Hunk said in a silly sing-song lilt. “That's why we had to go all out.” He gestured to the wide array of food now spread around Shiro's counter. 

Pidge let out a sarcastic laugh. “Like I doubted you!” She teased. “It wasn't much of a bet,” she clarified in a stage whisper. 

Keith laughed as he helped them pull out the various pans and pots they'd need to get everything prepared. He turned to ask Shiro where he'd put the cutting board when it wasn't in the usual spot, only to raise an eyebrow at the silent conversation Shiro and Pidge seemed to be having with a variety of confusing facial expressions. 

“Oh, sorry, did you need something?” Shiro asked, startled, when he saw Keith looking at him. 

Keith was caught off guard by the sudden question, but recovered quickly. “Cutting board. It's not in this cabinet.” 

Shiro grimaced. “Yeah, it uh. I melted it.” He admitted with a groan. “I've just been using the counter.” Hunk tutted disapprovingly as Keith and Pidge laughed.

By 6:00 everything was in the oven or covered on the stove, ready or nearly ready for everyone to dig into. Allura and Lance arrived, as expected, shortly thereafter with a cookie cake and tub of ice cream in tow. 

“Rocky road!” Allura said with a grin, shaking the tub at him. 

Keith grinned and put it in the freezer. “Thanks, Allie, you’re the best.” 

She smiled approvingly at the compliment, peering around Keith to the various dishes laid out on the stove and humming in delight. “I’m so glad you’re back, Keith. And not just because it means Hunk’s cooking for everyone again.” She said with a laugh. 

Shiro nudged his shoulder as he put the cake on the counter. “We all are.” 

Blushing and ducking his head, Keith chuckled. “You guys act like I went off to war, not two towns over to draw.” 

“Well, it’s the first time we’ve been apart for so long since we were kids.” Shiro said with a laugh.

Allura smiled at him. “Shiro’s right, it’s not been the same without you.” A long, quiet moment passed before Allura cleared her throat and spoke again. “You’ll be able to make it back for my party on the 4th won’t you?” She asked pleadingly. 

“Yeah definitely. The Friday after, right?” Keith pulled out his phone, making sure he had the reminder set correctly. Allura nodded approvingly. 

They waited until 6:30 for Matt and Lotor to show up before digging into the veritable feast and setting up the Nintendo 64 for Mario Party. 15 minutes later the door slammed open, startling everyone. 

“What's up, nerds?” Matt said, holding up two canvas bags that were straining from the weight of their contents. Lotor offered a much quieter greeting as they filed in. Keith tried to ignore the quiet pang of jealousy that thrummed in his chest as Shiro smiled and laughed, his eyes following Matt to the kitchen.

“Guess the no booze rule didn't last long.” Keith said with a smirk, he hadn't expected them to go for more than a week. 

Matt scoffed. “Ye of little faith.” He chided, pulling out several different types of juice and fizzy drinks. “We're going full virgin, but that doesn't mean we can't have fun with it.” He declared to the group as he began mixing and pouring. Keith had to admit that the goofy virgin cocktails were pretty delicious, and Matt had made sure to go the extra mile and bring crazy straws for everyone. It was nostalgic and relaxing. 

Shiro picked up a controller and moved to sit next to Pidge, she was always his partner when the 8 of them all got together for 4 player games. “Nope, you’re with Keith.” Pidge declared, taking the controller and sticking out her tongue. 

“Wow, she gets a boyfriend and ABANDONS her gaming partner, just like that.” Shiro shook his head in mock-indignation. “You know what? Keith and I are gonna kick your butt now.” He sat down on the couch next to Keith and held out his hand for a fist bump. 

“Yeah we are!” Keith said with a laugh, crashing his knuckles into Shiro’s. They both pulled back and made a fake explosion noise as they opened their hands. 

Allura leaned forward in her chair. “We’ll see about that!” She challenged as everyone else took their places and settled in for the game. 

In the end, it wasn’t particularly close. Normally Matt and Lotor were untouchable, but neither of them had played sober in years and it proved to be their downfall. Shiro and Keith won the night easily, and wouldn’t be letting their friends forget it any time soon. 

“Oh, what’s that screen say, Pidge? I think it says  _ Keith and Shiro just kicked your butt! _ ” Shiro gloated, sticking his tongue out at her in a mockery of her earlier taunts. 

“Ugh, rub it in.” She groaned. 

Keith smirked. “Don’t worry, we will.” They high-fived and continued celebrating their victory with petty digs throughout the night. 

Everyone filed out in pairs after wishing Keith good luck until they saw him again, all citing plans for Father’s Day early the next morning, until finally it was just Shiro and Keith left in the apartment again. 

There was something soothing about standing next to him in the kitchen and helping washing dishes. “I can’t believe how hard we stomped everyone.” Shiro said with a laugh as he handed Keith a plate to rinse and dry.

Keith laughed as well, sliding the dish onto the clean stack on the counter. “I can. We’re always a good team.” He was sure he imagined the faint blush on Shiro’s cheeks. “You gonna be ok tomorrow?” Keith asked quietly as they finished up the last dish. 

Shiro sighed. “Yeah, definitely. The Holts invited me over, so.” He trailed off with a shrug. 

Keith squeezed his shoulder gently. “Good. You’re always welcome at Kolivan’s, too, you know?” 

“Thanks, Keith.” Shiro gave him a sad smile. “Speaking of, you should probably head over there, I know he gets mad when you wake him up.”

Keith nodded. “Yeah, I,” he rubbed his palms on his pants, not sure what to do with his hands, “I guess I’ll see you for the 4th, then?”

“I’ll be there.” Shiro assured, nudging Keith towards the door. Confused and slightly hurt, Keith took the hint and headed out with a wave. “Drive safe.” Shiro called after him as he shut the door. 

..

The smallest bedroom on the second floor hadn’t been Keith’s in 3 years, but it was still where he stayed every time he visited Kolivan overnight. The full-sized bed was too small for him now, but the familiar lumps in the old mattress were somehow comforting. He woke up early, even without an alarm, and padded down the stairs to the kitchen, intent on surprising his uncle with breakfast. 

“Shoulda known,” Keith mumbled, shaking his head. 

Kolivan turned away from the pancakes that were already nearly done on the stove. “You shouldn’t have stayed out so late. Maybe then you could have woken up before me.” He teased with a wink. 

Keith laughed and strode quickly across the room. Kolivan already had an arm up to pull him into a loose hug. “Shiro and I had to stomp everyone at video games.” He protested weakly. 

“I’m assuming that means you won.” He raised an eyebrow as Keith stepped out of his embrace to set the table. 

Plates and forks distributed, Keith chuckled smugly. “Of course we did.” 

Kolivan laughed approvingly as he brought the stack of pancakes to the table and sat down next to Keith. “Thank you for coming back today, Keith, I know three hours each way isn’t an easy weekend drive.” He said earnestly, not meeting Keith’s eyes. 

Keith wouldn’t have noticed if he did, his own eyes were staring down at his plate. “It’s the least I could do, after everything you’ve done for me and mom.” He murmured quietly. “And the drive wasn’t so bad, plus all my friends were at my place when I got there. It’s been a great weekend so far.” 

Nodding along as Keith spoke, Kolivan took a bite before replying. “I’m sure it was nice to sleep in your own bed for a night after living in that hotel.” He mused. 

Keith’s cheeks colored as he pushed his pancakes around his plate. “I uh, I stayed at Shiro’s, actually.” 

“Oh?” Kolivan asked, raising an eyebrow suspiciously. 

Groaning, Keith buried his face in his hands. “Not like that. My roommates pranked my room.” 

Chuckling, Kolivan ignored his nephew’s distress and finished up his breakfast. “Good. You should be focusing on your education and career, not on,” he gestured with his fork, searching for the words. 

“God. Stop, please. Please stop talking.” Keith stood up quickly and plucked the fork from his grasp. Standing, he grabbed their plates as well and took them to the kitchen to start the dishes. 

Keith tried not to focus on how readily Kolivan would have believed they were together as he rinsed. He’d been doing his best to focus on his internship, knowing that it wouldn’t be fair to either of them to say anything until he was back at the end of August. 

The sudden appearance of Kolivan’s hand on his shoulder made him jump in surprise. “I think that one’s clean, kit.” He pulled the pan in question out of Keith’s soapy grasp and set it in the dishwasher. 

“Right,” Keith replied, clearing his throat. “Hey, you wanna throw the football around in the backyard?”

If Kolivan saw through the transparent attempt at changing the subject, he didn’t comment. “We haven’t done that in a long time.” He smiled. “Let’s see if that ball is still lying around the garage somewhere.” 

The ball was on the shelf, right where they’d left it the last time they’d played. They took a trip down memory lane as they tossed it back and forth for what felt like hours. It left Keith feeling light-hearted and recharged, ready to take on anything when he headed back for the next few weeks of his internship. 

He left after dinner, promising to text Kolivan when he got back to the hotel safely. The drive was long and Keith was exhausted by the time he made it back to his suite. Pulling out his phone, he saw that Shiro had sent him a few messages. The first couple had been pictures of his bedroom, free of foil and not a Billy Ray Cyrus in sight. The third had his heart racing. 

“Sorry I rushed you out last night. I didn't want to get all sappy and weird on you. I hope your internship keeps being awesome and I can't wait til you get home again.”

Locking the screen as soon as he finished reading it, Keith laid down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling for a moment. He texted Kolivan to let him know he’d arrived before scrolling back to Shiro’s message. He typed out and deleted what felt like a thousand messages before settling on, “thanks :) 3 weeks!” and the American flag emoji. 


	8. July

Keith was over an hour late to Allura’s 4th of July party. It hadn’t been entirely his fault, he’d had to work late the night before, spent half the night driving, and crashed immediately when he landed in his apartment bed at an ungodly hour. When he awoke still in yesterday’s clothes, he realized he had forgotten to set an alarm and consequently slept the entire morning away. He knew she probably wouldn’t care, but Keith still felt guilty as he pulled into the driveway. He slammed the rest of the energy drink he’d picked up on the way and quickly made his way to the backyard, laughing at the onslaught of tacky British memorabilia. 

Just as he rounded the house, Lotor approached and handed him a drink. “Happy treason day, ungrateful colonial!”

Keith was in stitches as he took the cup. “Nice. Very nice.” He should expected no less when the Brits asked to throw America’s independence day party. 

Lotor sat back down in his Union Jack lawn chair with a smug grin. “Thank you, I do try.” He took a long sip of his drink. “Although I must admit it wouldn’t be half as wonderful a spectacle without Allura’s genius.” He swept his hand dramatically in front of him at all of the decorations. 

Greeting all of his other friends in turn as they soaked up the sun or played games on the lawn, Keith realized Shiro wasn’t among them. “Hey, Hunk?” He asked quietly as Hunk poked at the hotdogs and hamburgers on the grill. “Shiro’s coming right?” 

Hunk’s shoulders tensed and he turned slowly towards Keith with a grimace. “So… Shiro is definitely coming. But uh,” 

Keith swallowed hard. “But what?” He practically hissed. 

Hunk didn’t get the chance to answer. 

“Hey, Shiro!” Matt called, waving his cup in the air like a salute. “No, uh, what’s his name?” 

Keith looked between Matt and Shiro quickly, confusion and panic warring for dominance in his chest and on his face. “Nope, just me! It uh,” Keith looked away as Shiro’s eyes landed on him, “didn’t work out.” He finished quietly. 

Keith’s heart pounded at the thought of Shiro with someone else. His blood felt like it was boiling. 

Matt scoffed and waved his free hand in the air. “Good, he seemed like a huge douchebag anyway.” He elbowed Lotor in the chair next to him. “Didn’t he?” 

“Yes, absolutely.” Lotor agreed without hesitation. 

Shiro rolled his eyes and let out a quiet chuckle. “He was not.” 

Keith’s mouth went dry as Shiro’s defended his...  _ Ex boyfriend? Were they serious? I’ve only been gone three weeks…  _ He took a long drink of his mango pineapple smoothie to keep himself from asking the million questions on the tip his tongue. 

“He just… wasn’t right for me. Let’s drop it.” Shiro concluded, pushing Matt’s face. Keith looked away as Matt giggled and pretended he was going to lick Shiro’s hand. 

When the laughing died down, Keith looked back to see Shiro smiling at him. “Looks like I missed a lot.” He said with his best attempt at a smile as his gaze shifted between Shiro and Matt. The flash of concern across Shiro’s face let him know that it wasn’t a very good one. 

“Not really. It wasn’t a big deal.” Shiro replied. 

Keith swallowed hard as he tried to come up with something to say in response, but Hunk saved him from the effort. “Ok, my fellow traitors! Grub is up!” He called out, twirling his spatula in one hand and clinking his tongs with the other. Shiro walked up to fill his plate, and by the time Keith could make his legs move everyone else had filed into the line ahead of him. 

It ended up suiting Keith just fine, being the last person at the grill with Hunk while everyone else went to sit at the table across the patio. “Why didn’t you text me?” He whispered harshly. 

“What was I supposed to say?” Hunk answered just as bitingly. “‘Hey Keith, I know you’re like, working really hard at this super cool job but drop everything! Shiro has a date’?” He asked sarcastically. 

Keith’s eyes narrowed and he gestured incoherently with his hands while trying not to be too obvious. “Yes! Absolutely yes. What the hell?” 

Hunk sighed and looked over at the table, waving at Allura with an awkward smile as she motioned for them to hurry up. “Get your delicious freedom meal and go sit down, we can talk about this at home.” 

Keith took the plate Hunk shoved into his chest with a glare. He tried not to look furious as he filled it and took the open seat next to Allura. Hunk filed in after him, sitting next to Pidge and digging into his hamburger without looking up. 

Still annoyed at Hunk, Keith looked around at the rest of his friends. Hunk was the last person to sit down, but there was still an extra chair.  _ At least if he’s dating that means he’s probably getting over Matt,  _ Keith thought to himself sullenly. 

Once the initial surge of blind anger died down, Keith realized Shiro was probably hurting, and he felt terrible for not realizing it sooner. He looked up at Shiro anxiously, searching his face for any signs of distress just as Allura clinked her glass and interrupted his fretting. 

“Everyone! Shiro has some exciting news!” She called, hushing all the smaller side conversations that had broken out at the table as they ate. 

Shiro blushed and smiled. “Yes! Very exciting.” He said with an uncomfortable chuckle. “Thanks in large part to two anonymous benefactors who are definitely  _ not  _ at this table right now,” he started, smiling at Lotor and Allura in turn, “I’m officially opening my own gym!” 

The group broke out in happy whoops and enthusiastic congratulations. Keith wished he’d been sitting closer so he could do more than smile in Shiro’s direction. 

“I have a long way to go, but yesterday was my last day as a trainer at The Arena.” He was beaming as he spoke. Keith couldn’t remember ever being happier about something. 

The clamour died down after a few minutes of questions and further well-wishing, leaving Keith free to talk to Shiro one on one. “Hey, congrats.” Keith said quietly as he approached, holding his hand out. 

Shiro stood and took it, meeting Keith halfway as they pulled each other into a one-armed hug. “Thanks, I’m so excited. I never thought I’d really get here.” Shiro replied, holding on just a beat longer after Keith relaxed his grip. 

“I always knew you could do it.” Keith smiled earnestly as they stood in each other’s space. 

Shiro looked down at the ground between them and took a deep breath. “Yeah, you really did.” His voice was barely above a whisper. 

Before Keith had a chance to respond, Lotor sidled up next to them. “Might I borrow the two of you for a moment?” He asked anxiously. 

Keith was a little disappointed at their conversation being interrupted, But Shiro answered right away. “Sure, what's up?” 

Lotor looked cautiously towards the end of the table where Matt was sitting. “Somewhere more private, perhaps?” He gestured to the side of the house with the slightest twitch of his head. 

They followed him across the yard until they were hidden by the corner of the house. Lotor took a deep breath before turning around to face them. “I'd like to ask Matthew to marry me.” He said with no preamble. 

Keith's eyebrows shot up and Shiro laughed, pulling Lotor into a brief hug. “That's great! What do you need?” He asked with a broad grin. 

Keith was happy for them, but more than a little confused by Shiro's reaction. “Yeah, absolutely.” He managed to stammer out. “How can we help?” 

Lotor smiled at them before letting out an amused sigh. “As I'm sure you've noticed, Matthew is… rather flippant.” He started. 

“Understatement.” Keith muttered, earning a chuckle and sideways glance from Shiro. 

“Yes, quite.” Lotor agreed, clasping his hands behind his back. “Every time I try to do something romantic for or with him, he manages to make it into a joke.” He explained, choosing his words carefully. “It's one of the things I love the most about him, but I need to find a way for the proposal to be special.” He looked at both of them pleadingly. 

Shiro hummed in thought. “What about his birthday? The big romantic getaway?” He asked, crossing his arms. “How did he make that a joke?” 

Lotor chuckled fondly and shook his head. “I asked him if I could steal him away for a weekend on the beach in Mexico…” He closed his eyes and smiled, licking his lips before he opened them again and continued. “And he said 'oh, that sounds great, we should go hunting for El Chupacabra.’” 

Keith had to laugh; he would have done almost anything to have seen Lotor's reaction. “So you need us to help you with something romantic, but not something Matt could make fun of?” 

Lotor nodded. “That sums it up, yes.” 

Shiro hummed as he considered. “Do you have a ring yet?” 

_ How is he being so cool about this? I almost stabbed a chair because his hypothetical boyfriend might have sat there and he's just… helping,  _ the thought made Keith feel guilty. 

Lotor pulled out his phone and showed them both a picture. “I haven't ordered it yet, but I found this site that will engrave waveforms of phrases…” His cheeks darkened with blush. “Matthew’s dissertation is about some kind of signal processing, so I thought…” He sighed and shook his head. 

Shiro smiled at the photo. “I think he'll love it. What are you going to have engraved?” 

“Perhaps 'I love you’ or something along those lines.” Lotor suggested tentatively. 

Keith paled. “That's a really cool idea, but you know exactly what Matt's gonna say, right?” 

Lotor and Shiro looked over at him, confused. Shiro cringed as he registered the look on Keith's face. “He's right, Lotor.” 

“I'm sure that's true, but what are you talking about?” He asked, just a slight huff of indignation in his voice. 

Keith sighed. “He'll say 'lol gay,’ literally, he'll pronounce the word 'lol’ out loud. Like… Forever.  Every time he looks at the ring.”

Lotor ran a hand across his face. “I'm glad I asked. You're absolutely right.” He groaned. 

Shiro frowned and crossed his arms. “What if you used the engraving to ask him? Just get a simple ring for now and if you guys want to pick out nicer ones later, you can?” Shiro prompted. 

Lotor furrowed his brows. “That could work. Maybe something simple like white gold?” 

Shiro frowned. “I'd go with tungsten, that way he won't be able to scratch it and he won't have to remember to clean it.” 

“Perfect.” Lotor agreed. He tapped at his phone screen to unlock it, scrolling through the site again. “Hm… I don't know if I like any of these.” 

He turned the phone around, and Keith and Shiro frowned at the same time. “Yeah all of those are kind of… I mean most of them are wood.” Shiro said, unimpressed. 

Keith's eyes lit up with a sudden idea. “When do you want to do it? If you wait until I'm done with my internship I could help.” 

Lotor looked at Keith with a shy smile. “I was planning on doing it on our anniversary in September. What did you have in mind?” 

Keith grinned. “We could get something that looks cool, like blown glass or a cool plaque or something.” He held his hands out in front of him to approximate the size. “Record you saying 'will you marry me’ and then engrave it with the laser etcher at the studio. I'll have to smooth it out and probably re-stain it…” 

Lotor interrupted as politely as he could. “I appreciate the offer, but I'd feel terrible having you do all the work.” He smiled apologetically. 

Keith shrugged. “I could teach you so you could do the final version. We can get scraps and practice. It's not that hard.” He was more than happy to spend a few weekends showing Lotor the ropes, and he knew Matt would love the end result. 

Shiro smiled softly at Keith as he spoke which had Keith suddenly feeling self-conscious about his enthusiasm. 

“That would be amazing, Keith!” Lotor said, grabbing his shoulder and shaking him a little. 

Keith tore his gaze from Shiro's face to look up at Lotor. “Cool, remind me when I get back and we'll work out details. A month should be more than enough time.” 

Lotor thanked them both and headed back to the party. Keith started to follow him but noticed Shiro wasn't walking with him. He turned back to see why and noticed Shiro wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.  _ Oh no… _ Keith's stomach dropped and he rushed over, putting a hand on Shiro's shoulder. “You ok?” 

“Yeah, sorry.” Shiro's voice came out hoarse. “I'm… just a big sap.” He said quietly with a faint chuckle, staring red-faced at the ground for a moment before clearing his throat and looking up at Keith with a watery smile.

Keith had seen Shiro in almost every emotional state possible for a person to be in, and he still didn't know what to think. He studied Shiro's face in concern. 

“That was a really cool idea, by the way.” Shiro murmured. 

Keith shrugged, deciding not to press if Shiro didn't want to talk about it. “It was mostly you and Lotor.” He said with a dismissive wave of his hand. 

“Don't sell yourself short.” Shiro nudged him with his elbow. “You ready to head back?” 

Lowering his hand, Keith nodded. “Yeah, if you are.” 

“Yeah, I'm good.” Shiro answered, wiping his face one more time before walking away. 

Keith spent the rest of the afternoon having fun with his friends, deciding to file the problems away to ruminate on later. Between Lotor and Allura having a bit too much fun with the ridiculous theme, all the delicious snacks, and fun lawn games, it was a great party. By early in the evening, everyone was tired from being in the sun all day and started to filter out. 

Shiro approached Keith before leaving, quietly pulling him aside. “Hey, I was gonna take off.”

Keith nodded. “Yeah, I’m probably leaving soon too.” Not knowing what to do with his hands, he stuffed them into his pockets. “Long drive and all. Totally worth it, though.” He looked up at Shiro and tilted the corner of his mouth into a half-smile. “I miss you guys.”  

“I uh,” Shiro swallowed and looked away, “we all miss you, too... It’s 3 more weeks, right?” Shiro asked, pursing his lips. 

Sighing, Keith shrugged. “Just over.” 

“Well good luck finishing out the job. I’m sure you’re gonna do great.” Shiro assured with a  tight-lipped smile that had Keith’s chest aching and mind reeling. 

He kicked at a small rock next to his foot. “Thanks.” He replied quietly. 

Shiro pulled him into a brief, loose hug before turning around with a wave and heading to his car. 

As soon as he was gone, Keith stormed over to Hunk. “We gotta go. Now.” He whispered harshly.

Hunk nodded grimly, leaning over to give Pidge a quick peck on the cheek and whisper something in her ear. They both finished saying goodbye to the rest of their friends and headed off for their apartment. Keith couldn’t stop himself from driving like a bat out of hell and he beat Hunk home by several minutes. He waited in the living room, coiled to pounce when Hunk walked in. “Tell me everything.” He demanded. 

Hunk sighed and slumped over to the couch, plopping down with a groan. “What do you want from me, man?” 

He seemed so distraught that Keith almost felt bad. “Everything.” He repeated, sitting down next to Hunk and turning to face him. 

Hunk groaned again. “Ok, so I guess they were coworkers?” Keith huffed and crossed his arms, prompting Hunk to continue. “Pidge said they went on a double date with Matt and Lotor last week and they’d only been out a couple times before then.” 

Keith sat back against the couch and tried to breathe normally. “I need you to not judge me for what I’m about to ask.” He said, closing his eyes. 

“Matt sent Pidge a sneaky pic, he’s not that hot.” Hunk answered immediately. 

Sighing in relief Keith opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling. “Did she tell you why they broke up?” His voice cracked a little as he asked the question. 

“He told Matt that they just didn’t click or something.” Hunk said with a shrug. “I really don’t know what his deal is, man, I’m sorry.” 

Keith stood and rubbed his hands over his face. “It’s ok. I’m sure he’ll be ok.” He replied quietly. “I need to focus on my internship anyway, I’ll deal with this when I get back.” He murmured, stalking to the door and heading to Kolivan’s without saying goodbye. 

..

He walked into Kolivan’s living room and sat down on the couch, still upset and confused and worried about Shiro. It felt too soon to text him, but he kept fiddling with his phone in his pocket anyway as Kolivan picked a few movies out of a stack on top of the entertainment center. 

“Something’s bothering you.” He said, sliding a DVD into the player underneath the TV and settling back into the cushion next to Keith. 

Keith sighed and shook his head. “It’s stupid. I’m supposed to be the one being here for you, not you listening to my dumb high school drama crap.” He muttered. 

As if to prove Keith’s point a shrill whistle followed by a thundering boom sounded outside and Kolivan clenched his teeth tightly. “What did Shiro do this time?” Kolivan asked, tone flat. 

Keith sighed. He knew his uncle needed the distraction from his least favorite holiday. “I found out today that he was dating someone while I was gone.” 

Kolivan raised an eyebrow and turned the volume on the TV up a few notches. It made talking a little harder, but it drowned out the noise coming from outside. “I tried to warn you, Keith. I am sorry, though.” 

Keith shook his head. “I’m just worried about Shiro… they aren’t seeing each other anymore apparently. And I’m mad at myself for not saying anything, but you’re right. I need to just focus on school and work for right now.” He took a deep breath and stared at his hands in his lap. “And if Shiro finds someone he likes before I tell him, that’s on me.” 

Kolivan pulled him into a sideways hug and squeezed gently. “It’s a hard lesson to learn, but you’ll come out of this stronger for it.” He reassured. 

“Yeah, thanks.” Keith murmured in response, leaning his head against Kolivan’s shoulder. 

Keith stayed until the last of the fireworks outside had died down enough that he knew Kolivan would be able to get to sleep. Chugging a travel mug of coffee after midnight when he was supposed to work the next day wasn’t exactly his brightest plan, but he needed to stay awake on the drive. 

Keith got back to his hotel room just before 4am and flopped down on the bed without even taking off his shoes. After texting Kolivan that he’d gotten home safely he pulled up Shiro’s thread. They hadn’t texted in days. “Congrats again! Can’t wait to hang out for real when I get home” Keith finally sent after agonizing for far too long. 

A few minutes later, Shiro responded and Keith’s heart sank. “Me too, keep working hard :)” 

Keith didn’t get much sleep that night. 

..

Keith was running on 4 hours of sleep and 8 cups of coffee by the time he’d remembered to log onto Skype for Lance’s birthday party. Almost as soon as he hit enter after typing in his password, he got a notification for a video call. 

“Mullet! About time!” Lance answered with a big grin. 

He didn’t even have the energy to return the insult. “Hey, sorry. We’re in crunch time. Happy birthday!” He tried to sound enthusiastic as he spoke, but he knew it fell a little flat. 

“No big, no big. I know you’re too cool for us now.” Lance said, sticking his nose up into the air indignantly. Keith chuckled and shook his head. “Everyone says hi, by the way.” He held his laptop up so that Keith could see the rest of his friends. 

“Hey everybody.” It was a little embarrassing how quickly he dismissed everyone until he got to Shiro’s soft smile. His heart started beating a little faster as they locked eyes through their webcams. 

The moment was over far too soon as Lance placed the laptop back on the table. “You seem super tired and busy, so I guess I’ll forgive you for being lame.” He grumbled out. “But you have to be way less lame when you get back on Saturday.” 

Keith rolled his eyes. “Yeah, well. See how lame you think I am after you check your steam account.” He said with a smirk. 

Lance’s eyes widened and his frown turned into a grin. “Oh! What did you get me?” 

“It’s one of the perks of the job. You’ll see.” He winked. 

“Yes! I take back 4 of the bad things I said about you today!” Lance shouted enthusiastically. 

Keith groaned as he looked at the clock in the corner of his screen. “I’m really sorry, I have to finish this. I’ll see you guys for sure Saturday, though.” He promised apologetically. 

Everyone said goodbye nearly in unison, but Shiro’s sad smile was the only thing Keith could focus on. 


	9. August

Keith had no idea how he'd managed to stay awake for the entire drive as he pulled into the parking lot. He grabbed his duffel bag off of the passenger seat and slumped out of the truck, slamming his door shut. There were a few more bags under the bed cover but those could wait until after he got some sleep.

He didn't realize his mistake until his hand came up of its own volition and knocked on a door that definitely wasn't his. 

Keith swore under his breath as soon as he lowered his hand.  _ It's really late maybe he's asleep,  _ he thought as he turned around to head back to his truck. The door opened before he made it more than a few steps. 

“Keith?” Shiro asked with a yawn. “Are you ok?” 

Groaning, Keith ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, sorry. I just… I meant to go home.” He mumbled. 

Shiro stood looking at Keith with an unreadable expression on his face, eyes wide and what could have been a blush creeping across his nose and cheeks. A long moment later he opened the door wider. “It's ok. I'm… I’m so glad to see you.” Keith  blushed when he saw the soft smile on Shiro's face. 

“I'm… I should go home. Sorry if I woke you up.” He turned and started heading to his truck again, but Shiro's hand on his shoulder stopped him. 

“You're exhausted, I can't let you drive like this.” He pushed gently and spun Keith back towards the door. 

Keith shook his head. “It’s fine, it’s only a couple miles.” He could already feel his eyelids drooping. 

“I’d feel a lot better if you stayed.” Shiro admitted quietly. 

Keith swallowed hard and nodded. “Ok.” He blinked in the soft lamp light of the living room and frowned at Shiro’s computer, open and turned on, resting on the coffee table. “Were you still up?” 

Shiro chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, turns out opening a business takes a lot of work.” 

Even dead on his feet, Keith had to smile. “Yeah, you're gonna kick ass, though.” He swayed a little as the last dregs of energy left him. 

Shiro grabbed Keith’s duffel bag and set it next to the couch. “Thanks, and you're gonna get some rest.” He said with a laugh, putting a gentle hand on the small of Keith's back and guiding him towards the bedroom. 

“S’probably a good idea,” Keith agreed with a yawn. He stripped down to his t-shirt and boxers and crawled under the covers. “Don't sleep on the couch.” He murmured, already half-asleep, as Shiro flipped the light off.

A few hours later, Keith woke up as he felt the bed dip behind him. He was too tired to open his eyes or move as Shiro slid underneath the covers. A warm weight pressed up against his back and draped over his hip. He sighed and fell back to sleep before he could figure out what it was. 

He woke up again some time later, alone, as sunlight softly streamed through the cracks in the curtains. A little disappointed, but mostly relieved, he got up and headed into the living room looking for Shiro. Instead, he saw a box of Lucky Charms, unopened, with a bright green sticky note sitting on the kitchen counter. 

“You seemed exhausted so I let you sleep. I had to run to a meeting. Feel free to stick around, I should be back by 1. -T” 

Keith’s stomach fluttered as he read the note. It was far too much to deal with that early in the morning. He poured a bowl of cereal and thought back to the night before, groaning.  _ I can’t believe I drove here…  _ As he finished eating and washed his bowl, he decided not to think about it anymore. 

Keith tossed his duffel bag back into his truck and did his best to calm the pounding in his chest. He knew he should text Shiro to let him know he left, but his phone had died at some point in the night, and he figured it could wait until he drove the short distance back to his own apartment. 

After a full night’s sleep in Shiro’s comfortable bed, even with the embarrassment still raging in the back of his mind, Keith was energetic and in a great mood as he carried all of his bags in from his truck. His nose was blasted with a myriad of delicious smells emanating from the kitchen and he knew that could mean only one thing: Hunk was stress-baking.

Hunk looked up from the bowl he was furiously mixing. “Dude! I tried to call you like 50 times!” He shouted, dropping the spoon into the batter. “Why didn’t you tell me you decided not to come home until today!?” 

Keith rolled his eyes and plugged in his phone at the kitchen counter as Hunk continued lovingly berating him. As it powered back on, he dismissed all of the missed notifications from Hunk and pulled up Shiro’s name. “Thanks for stocking up on cereal for me. I went home to unpack, call when you’re done with your meeting” His thumb hovered over a heart emoji before selecting a generic smiley face.

Looking up from the message with a pounding heart, Keith tried to focus on what Hunk was saying. "...and  _ then  _ I thought, ‘I’m gonna have to call the national guard! Something definitely happened, man, he said he was coming home Friday night and my  _ best friend who is basically my brother, Keith, who I love,  _ would  _ never _ just  _ not  _ text me something like that-” 

Cutting Hunk off by holding up his hand, Keith sighed. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” He interrupted. His cheeks flushed a deep red. “I did drive home last night, I just… ended up at Shiro’s.” He said much more quietly. “Anyway, it was an asshole thing to do, how can I make it up to you?” Keith crossed his arms and refused to make eye contact. 

Hunk started stirring again, ignoring the mess on the spoon. “First, you have eat like 30 cookies and at least 4 tarts. And then you have to tell me  _ how the heck you ended up at Shiro’s! _ ” He slid a plate of cookies over to Keith with his free hand. “Did you guys talk? Tell me  _ everything.”  _ Hunk demanded. 

Keith sighed and bit into a cookie, using the time spent chewing as a stalling tactic. “I… don’t know. I was driving on autopilot and just… ended up at his front door at like 1am.” He looked down at the plate and hesitated before grabbing another cookie. “I didn’t even realize I was there until I knocked on the door.” 

“Oh my god, Keith.” Hunk muttered quietly under his breath, shaking his head as he poured the batter into a pan. “What did Shiro do?” 

Keith licked his lips and stared at the counter, face suddenly warm. “Said he was glad to see me and I should stay over. So I did.” He shoved the rest of the second cookie into his mouth. 

Turning his back to put the brownies into the oven, Hunk mumbled something that Keith didn’t catch. “And I’m sure you didn’t get a chance to talk to him about you-know-what.” Hunk accused, stabbing the buttons on the oven timer just a little harder than was absolutely necessary. 

Blush darkening, Keith thought of the brief flash of being enveloped in warmth as he drifted back to sleep.  _ It was probably just a dream... _ “No, I was too tired, and he was gone when I woke up.” He protested. Hunk gave him a very unimpressed look. “I’m not dealing with this right now.” Grabbing his phone from the charger, Keith stalked into his bedroom.

He tossed his duffel bag on his bed, which thankfully appeared unsullied by pranks.  _ Guess Lance was busy this week _ he thought with a chuckle. He stuffed all of his clean clothes into his drawers and piled the dirty ones into the washer before starting on all of his art supplies. Someone knocked on the door as he was reorganizing his room, but Hunk was cleaning up already so Keith let him deal with it. 

Shiro poked his head into Keith’s room with a shy smile and a knock on his open door. “Hey, your place was on the way home so I figured it would be easier to just drop by rather than call. I hope that’s ok.” 

Keith slammed his drawer shut and turned around at the sound of Shiro’s voice. “Oh. Hey, yeah that’s fine. How’d your meeting go?” 

A huge grin spread across Shiro’s face. “It went great! There’s still a lot more to do before opening day, but Lotor’s been helping a lot. He knows a guy for pretty much everything.” He answered with a chuckle. 

“Yeah, that checks out.” Keith replied with one corner of his mouth upturned.

The silence stretched awkwardly between them for a long moment before Shiro cleared his throat. “I know you’re still unpacking, but I just wanted to,” he paused and shook his head a little, “we talked about doing something fun when you got back.” Shiro trailed off with pursed lips.

“Oh, yeah.” Keith looked up at the ceiling and sighed. “When are you free?” He asked, dreading the answer.  _ He’s probably booked solid with stuff for the gym for weeks… _

Shiro blushed. “Well I made sure I was done with this round of meetings by today so that I’d have all of next week clear.” He replied quietly. “Unless you wanted to do something later,” he added hastily, his face scrunched with worry. 

All of the tension Keith hadn’t realized he’d been holding in his shoulders dropped. “That sounds great. Still up for hiking?” He asked hopefully. 

“Absolutely.” Shiro answered without hesitation. “I actually already talked to Coran, he said we could use his campsite whenever.” 

Keith furrowed his brows as he thought. “5 hour drive? About?” Shiro nodded. “Wanna leave tomorrow?” 

Shiro laughed. “How did I know that was coming?” He said with a grin. “I’ll message everybody, see who else can make it.” Keith hoped Shiro didn’t catch the momentary flash of disappointment across his face. “So, stay for a week? Head back Monday morning to avoid the weekend traffic?” 

“Yeah, sounds good. Guess I should start packing again.” Keith turned and took a steadying breath as he grabbed his backpack and reopened it.

“That’s a good plan.” Shiro replied after a brief paused. “I… should go do that, too, I guess.” 

_ Why is he being weird?  _ Keith thought as he turned back around.  _ He looks… nervous?  _ “We’ll figure out what time we wanna leave and who’s driving after we hear back from everyone.” Keith concluded, staring at his open bag. 

“Right. Sure.” Shiro trapped his bottom lip between his teeth and let it slide free. “Uh, before I go, I just,” he smiled softly, “wanted to say that it’s good to have you back.” He said quietly. 

Keith blushed and gave him a shy smile. “It’s good to be back.” He replied. 

Shiro nodded and tapped on his door. “Right. See you tomorrow.” He said quickly after a brief pause. Keith stared at the doorway and blinked for a few long moments after he left. 

He didn’t even get 5 minutes of peace before Hunk walked into his room and sat down on his bed, plate of cookies in hand. “What the f, Keith. Seriously.” 

Keith sighed heavily. “What now?” 

“He’s so into you” Hunk said, somehow judgmentally biting into a cookie. Keith almost found it impressive. 

“No, he isn’t. He wants to invite everyone, not just me.” Keith protested, shutting his open drawers with undeserved vigor.

Hunk hummed sarcastically as he took another bite. “During the week, with no notice, when he knows everyone but the two of you have to work.” 

“We need to have a big talk about  _ privacy  _ and  _ boundaries _ .” Keith glared as he swept a few crumbs off of his comforter.

Hunk took the hint, standing up and heading for the door. “A week in the woods surrounded by nature? Man, that is some classic romance. You have to tell him.”

Keith shook his head. “What if he doesn’t feel the same way and then we’re trapped at the campsite together for a week and then a 5 hour drive home? That sounds like a nightmare.” 

Hunk groaned as he slowly backed out of the door. “Dude. You are  _ killing _ me.” 

Keith shut the door, flipping the lock closed just to spite Hunk. He dug through his closet for his hiking boots and tent, pausing at the sheet-covered canvas standing on his easel.  _ I can’t believe I forgot about this… I should give it to him when we get back.  _ He flipped the sheet up and smiled, knowing Shiro would love it. 

His phone buzzed as he tossed his camping supplies into his backpack. The message was from Shiro. “Would it be weird if it was just us?” He started typing a reply before another message came in. “Everyone else probably has work and it’s been rough 7th wheeling all summer without you here” 

Keith closed his eyes and sighed as he realized how smug Hunk was going to be about it. “Not weird :)” he sent back, throwing his phone onto his bed and running his hands through his hair. 

He was determined to finish packing before checking his phone as it buzzed again, but he only lasted another pair of socks. “Do you mind driving? I wasn’t gonna bring my arm x.x too hard to keep it clean and charged.” 

Keith laughed under his breath before replying. “I’m a roadtrip pro now, no worries ;)” 

Shiro only took a few seconds to reply. “Thx! c:”

Hunk  _ had _ been smug when Keith begrudgingly told him when he finally left his room to make some food. “Wow, I hate saying  _ I told you so, _ ” 

“No, you really don’t.” Keith interrupted as he scooped his sandwich out of the pan. 

Hunk blinked at him, offended. “Anyway, I hate saying  _ I told you so,  _ but I absolutely told you so and now you have to tell him.” 

“I’ll think about it.” Keith grumbled as he took his grilled cheese into his bedroom. After he finished eating, he double checked his backpack and went to bed early that night. 

Shiro was over bright and early with all of his camping supplies as well as all the food and water they’d need for the week long trip. Keith was thankful for his foresight, he’d expected to need to make a trip to the grocery store before they got started. 

A few minutes later, they finished loading up the truck and Keith closed the bed cover. He walked back around to the cab, climbing into his seat with a smile and putting on his sunglasses.

“Alright! Let’s get some jams goin’!” Shiro exclaimed excitedly as soon as Keith was buckled in, reaching for the aux cable. 

Keith shot his hand out and grabbed it before Shiro could. “Actually, I had something in mind.” He said with a smug grin.

Shiro sat back and gave Keith a surprised and expectant look. “Well go right ahead, then.” 

Keith started singing along as soon as the words started. “Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?” 

Shiro gasped. “No.” Keith’s only response was to continue belting out the lyrics as they headed for the highway. “Who are you and what you done with my best friend?” 

Keith shoved him playfully on the arm until he started singing along as well. They were both nearly in tears laughing as the song ended. “Ok, ok, ’s all yours.” Keith assured, handing the cable over. 

“You gonna sing along the whole time?” Shiro asked, still chuckling. 

Keith shrugged. “If you play something that doesn’t suck.” He challenged. Shiro laughed again and played a song, head banging as soon as the guitar started. “Ugh, no.” Keith groaned. 

“Revvin' up your engine, Listen to her howlin' roar,” Shiro held his left hand up like it was a microphone and faced Keith as he sang along. 

“UGH,” Keith repeated, putting his hand on Shiro’s face and pushing him away. “Tryin’ to drive here.” 

“Ride... in… to... the DANGAH ZOOOONE!” Shiro howled, almost unable to scream-sing as much as he was laughing. 

Keith shook his head. “I’m turning around. We’re going to Office Max to look at staplers.” He threatened. 

Shiro finished the entire song before putting on an artist he knew they both liked and turning down the radio to a more reasonable volume. “Good start, good start.” Shiro rolled his window down and smiled as the fresh air rushed by. Lowering his own window, Keith rested his arm on the sun-warmed paint on the outside of the door. 

A few songs and a handful of miles went by peacefully before Shiro spoke again. “So, you planning on keeping in touch with anyone from the internship?” He looked out the window on his side of the car as the scenery rushed by. 

Keith shrugged. “Nah, they all live kinda far away. Not really anyone worth the effort.” He explained. 

“Not even that uh, that one guy?” It was hard to hear Shiro’s quiet question over the air blowing through the open windows. 

Frowning, Keith flickered his eyes over to Shiro before looking back at the road. “What one guy? There were like 50 of us, so…” He trailed off, waiting for Shiro to specify. 

Shiro cleared his throat. “You know, the one that, that kissed you.” He stammered. 

“Oh.” Keith deadpanned, remembering the young man in question not-so-fondly. “Yeah, turns out he’s not my type.” 

“Oh.” Shiro responded. “I’m… sorry to hear that.” 

_ Yeah, you sound really sorry about it, _ Keith thought sarcastically, shaking his head. Another quick look in Shiro’s direction almost had him pulling over hardly half an hour into their drive. Shiro’s cheeks were bright pink and he was staring determinedly out the window.  _ Maybe Hunk was right? _

Keith let a few more awkward miles roll by before deciding a little turnabout was fair play. “What about you and your… guy?” He resisted the urge to look back at Shiro again. 

“We just… we work better as friends.” Shiro started, staring down at his lap, “We went out a few times and it just… no spark, or whatever.” He laughed uncomfortably. “God, I’m such a sap.” 

Keith teasingly slapped his leg with the back of fingers. “Hey, you deserve someone who you have a spark with.” He smirked and risked another glance away from the road. “Whatever that means.” 

Shiro rolled his eyes. “Maybe you’ll understand when you’re older.” He huffed.

“Thanks, gramps.” Keith grinned. “You’re so wise.” 

“Do you want more Kenny Loggins? Because that’s how you get more Kenny Loggins.” Shiro threatened in mock-indignation. 

Keith laughed and playfully batted his hand at the docking station holding Shiro’s phone as he reached for it. “I’m sorry! You’re not old!”

Shiro shook his head and laughed, but left his phone alone. They sang along to the music and chatted back and forth as they drove. The weather and the scenery were beautiful. One pit stop for gas and three playlists later, they pulled into the campsite.

Popping open the cover on the truck’s bed, Keith started handing their bags down one at a time to Shiro. He frowned as he saw a cooler he didn’t recognize. “Hey, it’s not a camping trip if you can’t have a beer by the fire.” Shiro defended as Keith raised an eyebrow at him. 

Shaking his head and laughing, Keith put his hand on his hip disapprovingly. “What happened to not drinking?”

Shiro shrugged. “Technically, she said we shouldn’t all drink  _ together.  _ But it’s just us out here, so…” He protested. 

Keith rolled his eyes and hopped down still holding the cooler. “And here I thought you were supposed to be the goody two-shoes.”

Shiro laughed and shoved him gently as he threw one bag over his shoulder and held another in his left hand. Keith picked up the rest and they set about making camp. 

As they popped up their tents, Keith swore under his breath. Shiro turned back and raised an eyebrow at the noise. Wiggling three fingers through the tear in the fabric, he sighed. 

“Well, hopefully it won’t rain.” Shiro said with a laugh. “I’m pretty sure I told you to get a new tent  _ last  _ summer, since you’ve had that one approximately forever.” He chided teasingly. 

Looking up at the clear blue sky, Keith shrugged. “Weather looks fine. Remind me to get a new one when we get home.” He said with a laugh. 

They both finished setting up their tents and sleeping bags before unfolding their chairs next to the firepit. Keith made quick work of stacking up a sizeable amount of firewood. It wasn’t anywhere near dark or cold outside, but cooking hotdogs and roasting marshmallows over the fire while they drank Shiro’s smuggled beer was a fun way to pass the afternoon. 

The weather quickly turned from perfect fluffy clouds and blue skies to dark gray as they were cleaning up dinner. Shiro felt the first few of drops of rain and turned towards Keith. “You should grab your sleeping bag and backpack.” He nodded towards his own tent. “The next week’ll be miserable if all your stuff is wet.” 

Keith frowned as he looked up at the sky, closing one eye as a droplet hit his face. He was about to protest when the rain started coming down in earnest, spurring him into action. They moved at the same time towards Keith’s ripped tent, grabbing his things and diving into Shiro’s intact shelter before they were too terribly soaked. 

They stared at each other as a deep rumble of thunder sounded from the sky above, laughing as the rain pattered down against Shiro’s tent. “Guess we’re not stargazing tonight.” Keith murmured, shaking the rain from his hair. 

Shiro chuckled and slid his sleeping bag over to make room for both of them, leaving hardly any space between them. “Yeah, that’s definitely out. Plan B?” He asked, doing his best to get comfortable in the cramped space.

It should have felt awkward, laying face to face in such tight quarters, but it was warm and comfortable and Shiro’s soft, expectant smile was soothing. “I brought cards.” Keith suggested. 

Shiro nodded in approval. “Sounds good to me.” He replied, sitting up with his legs crossed. 

Keith leaned over and dug the beat-up old cards out of his bag. “Crazy Eights?” He asked as he started shuffling. 

Shiro laughed. “That’s a throwback.” He said, smoothing down a place in between them to lay out the deck and flicking on his electric lantern. 

The rain pattered away at the roof of the small tent as they laughed and joked and reminisced about all of the nights they used to stay up in Kolivan’s living room playing the same card game. About halfway through their first round, Shiro’s phone buzzed. He set his cards down and leaned over to his backpack to pull it out. 

He rolled his eyes and groaned as he looked at the message. “Lotor won’t leave me alone about the proposal.” Shiro groaned. “I’m happy to help, really, but it’s not like Matt would say no even if Lotor asked with a ring pop.” He rolled his eyes. 

Keith took a steadying breath. He was determined to be a good friend and help Shiro through this. “I know it’s uh,” he licked his lips as he continued, “it has to be hard, with you and Matt, watching him marry someone else…” trailing off, he cringed, wishing he could find better words of comfort. 

Shiro laughed. “Me and Matt, what?” He asked incredulously. 

Keith’s mouth dropped open a little. “You… you guys…” He stammered as Shiro continued chuckling. “No. You were  _ so upset _ about his birthday! And…” Keith trailed off. “Ok, stop laughing.” He glared as Shiro caught his breath. 

“No way, Matt’s like… my dweeby little brother.” Shiro explained trying not to laugh again. 

Keith glared harder. “Your dweeby little brother that you hooked up with and you literally cried when he ditched you on his birthday.” He deadpanned. 

It was Shiro’s turn to balk. “Ok, look. We were trashed. We didn’t talk to each other for over a week after and I seriously thought we’d completely ruined our friendship.” He sighed. “Luckily he met Lotor like two weeks later and it was fine.” 

“Wow, I… really misread that.” Keith laughed uncomfortably. 

Shiro chuckled a little awkwardly, too. “Yeah, word of advice. Hooking up with friends is a bad idea.” He tossed his phone to the side and picked his cards back up. “Spades.” Shiro said as he set his cards back down and pulled an eight from his stack, laying it on top of the deck. 

“I’m glad you guys… powered through or whatever.” Keith mumbled a little dejectedly, playing one of his spades on top of Shiro’s eight. 

Shiro hesitated before playing his next card. “Keith…” 

Keith held his hand up to cut Shiro off. “We can drop it. I just feel dumb for being so worried about you this whole time. Let’s talk about something else.” That was only half of the reason he was so embarrassed and upset by the situation, but he hoped it didn’t show on his blushing face in the dim lamp light. 

“Ok, sorry. I didn’t mean to make you worry.” Shiro replied quietly, turning over another card. “Last card.” 

Keith groaned. “What? How?” He frowned and stared at his hand before playing his best option. 

Shiro laid down another eight. “Go fish.” He finished with a chuckle. 

“Ugh, rematch.” Keith declared, grabbing the cards to shuffle again. 

They played 5 more games, tying it up at 3 to 3. The rain gave no hint of letting up, and even if it had, Keith knew the inside of his tent would need days to dry out before he could sleep in it again. They put away the cards and turned off the lantern, settling in for the night. 

It was… not very comfortable to say the least. Keith kept scooting as far as he could to give Shiro as much space as possible, but neither of them were exactly small, unlike the tent. After Keith shifted around for the fourth time in as many minutes, Shiro sighed and turned towards him. Keith let out a squawk of surprise as Shiro pushed him to his right side and then pulled them together with his arm around Keith’s waist. 

“Don’t… make this weirder than it needs to be. This is the only way either of us is getting to sleep.” He grumbled, exhausted. 

Keith took a breath in and let it out slowly through his nose. “Ok.” He agreed quietly after a moment’s hesitation. Shiro’s breaths came out deeply and evenly; he was already asleep.  

_ Don’t hook up with your friends,  _ Keith thought sarcastically as he tried to get his heart to stop hammering,  _ but spooning is apparently on the table?  _ It took him a long time to get to sleep. 

The next morning, the rain had finally stopped and Keith got out of Shiro’s tent to check the damage to his own. It had been ripped nearly halfway down the side. Keith huffed and crossed his arms over his chest as he stared at it. 

Shiro filed out of his tent and slapped his hand down on Keith’s shoulder with a laugh. “Looks like someone needs to go tent shopping when we get back.”

Keith grumbled under his breath. “We don’t have to stay for the whole week if you don’t want to be stuck in a tiny tent for 7 more nights.” He offered, face heating up. 

Shiro shrugged. “Up to you, I don’t mind. I just want to relax and not have to deal with real life for a while.” 

Not dealing with real life sounded just fine to Keith. “Yeah, whatever, let’s do some hiking.” 

They spent the week hiking the beautiful wooded trails, fishing, playing cards, and catching up from the long weeks they’d been separated. At night Keith slept in Shiro’s arms or with Shiro in his and they didn’t talk about it, but it was the best he’d ever slept. It came to an end far too soon for Keith’s liking. 

Folding his tent sloppily since he’d be tossing it as soon as he got home, Keith sighed a little as he looked around their camp. Shiro looked up at him with a raised eyebrow and hummed in question. 

“Nothing.” Keith looked away again as he stuffed the shredded tent back into its bag. 

As they were packing the last of their bags into Keith’s truck, Shiro laid a hand on Keith’s shoulder. “I can't tell you how much I needed this, Keith. With the gym opening next month, a week to just relax and have fun has been so great. Between equipment, insurance, leasing, and everything else... I just don't think I could have handled one more thing on my plate." He said with an awkward laugh.

_ As much as I’d like to be on that plate, I need to be a good friend right now…  _ Keith thought to himself as he forced a smile onto his face. “You’ll be fine. You got this.” He reassured. 

“Thanks, Keith.” Shiro replied quietly, squeezing his shoulder before walking around to the passenger seat. 

The drive home was full of more scream-singing, silly road games, and Keith trying not to crash as he looked over at Shiro sleeping quietly up against the window. He almost felt bad having to wake Shiro up when they got to his apartment. Keith helped him get his bags and cooler inside his before tossing his beat up tent into the dumpster. 

Later that night, Keith was sitting at his desk sketching Shiro laughing in their tent in the faint, flickering light of the lantern when his phone buzzed. “Thanks again :) i’m glad we finally got to hang out, i’m gonna be so busy idk when i’ll have time again :(“ 

Keith shook his head and laughed at Shiro’s text. “I had a great time. Kick ass at gyming, I’ll be around when you’re free.” He replied before brushing some eraser shavings off of his sketch. 

“You’re the best :)” The message brought a flutter to Keith’s stomach.

He replied with “:)” after agonizing over the message for several long moments. Shiro didn’t respond. 

  
  



	10. September

Keith looked at the time on his phone and cringed as he tried to pull his suit jacket on. There was no getting around it- it was just too small. He pulled it off and looked at himself in the mirror with a frown. Lotor had worked really hard in the studio for the last several weeks, and Keith had filled in the time working on the pottery wheel while supervising. He felt like he blinked August by and school had started. 

Keith wasn’t a vain man, but poking at his arms and chest in the mirror, he realized that the seemingly endless vases and busts weren’t the only things he’d sculpted that summer. 

“Hunk!” Keith called miserably as he threw open his door. “Do you have any jackets that are too small for you? I can’t fit in mine.” 

Hunk had been ready 10 minutes ago and was anxious to get going, even though they both knew Matt would be late to his own funeral. “Wow, maybe you should have checked not at 3 minutes  _ after _ we were supposed to leave.” Hunk grumbled as he motioned Keith to follow him into his bedroom. 

Lance was flexing and making dumb faces in the mirror at himself when they walked in. “Hey! You guys ever heard of knocking!?” He shouted, crossing his arms and blushing as his roommates laughed. 

“Clearly Hunk hasn’t.” Keith pointed out. 

Hunk rolled his eyes. “We shouldn’t have any secrets between us, we’re basically brothers.” He defended, opening his closet and pulling out 2 jackets for Keith to try. They were both comically big on his much leaner frame. “Yeesh. Yeah you might have to go with just the shirt, bud.” 

Keith groaned, but Lance walked over to open his own wardrobe in the opposite corner of the room. “You’re basically the same size as me, try one of mine.” He offered with a sweeping gesture of his hand. 

Keith raised an eyebrow at the surprising level of organization and sheer number of fancy clothing options Lance had. “You have 9 suits and I’ve only seen you not in basketball shorts like twice this year.” Keith pointed out as he pulled on one of the jackets. It wouldn’t button over his chest and it was far too tight in the arms. 

“1, Basketball shorts are comfy and 2, I dress up every time I go out with Allura. Gotta make sure my lady knows she’s always worth the effort.” He wiggled his eyebrows. 

Keith and Hunk chuckled at his antics, but Lance’s brows furrowed as he tried to help Keith pull the jacket closed. “What? No way. You are  _ not  _ bigger than me.” 

Keith shrugged the coat off. “Thanks for the effort, guys. Guess I’m just gonna go without.” He headed back into his bedroom with a sigh and pulled on his nicest necktie, figuring it would help class the look up a little more. 

Lance leaned against Keith’s open door. “I’ll leave my jacket here, too, and we can just say we got in a fight or something and our jackets got wrecked if anyone asks.” He offered quietly. 

Chuckling, Keith looked up at him with a grateful smile. “Hopefully no one will notice. But, thanks, man.” He held his fist out and Lance bumped their knuckles together before clapping loudly. 

“Ok party people! Time to go! I can’t wait to see Lotor’s parents again, they’re so weird.” Lance cackled as they headed out the door to pile into Hunk’s car. 

The three of them got to the restaurant not surprised to find that Matt and Lotor still hadn’t arrived. As they took their seats around the table next to the Holts, Allura, and Lotor’s parents, Keith noticed Shiro was also missing. Allura was seated across from him, warily looking down at the other end of the table where Pidge was running interference between her parents and Lotor’s. It was a little awkward, but not exactly tense. 

“Hey, where’s Shiro?” Keith whispered, finally getting Pidge’s attention with a slight wave of his hand.

She shrugged. “He said he’d be here.” 

Frowning, Keith pulled out his phone. No new messages. It had been weeks since they’d seen each other and days since he’d even gotten a text. He knew it was supposed to be Matt and Lotor’s big day, but Keith couldn’t help that his thoughts always drifted to Shiro. Excusing himself, he stepped out of the private room into the main area of the restaurant and dialed Shiro’s number. As the phone dialed, he heard the custom ringtone Shiro had chosen for him from a few tables away where a hostess led Shiro towards the party. 

Shiro declined the call when he looked up and saw Keith standing there. 

_ His… hair…  _  Keith blinked in surprise as Shiro blushed and thanked the hostess. 

“Hey, Keith, uh,” Shiro stammered, standing up straighter. “Long time no see.” 

Keith opened and closed his mouth a few times. “What did…?” Keith reached up before he could stop himself. 

Shiro laughed quietly and leaned his head down so Keith could feel it. “Yeah, I was starting to get pretty gray, so Allura helped me dye the whole thing.” He clicked the fingers of his prosthetic nervously. “Does it look awful?” 

“No,” Keith answered, blushing at how fast the word came out of his mouth. “No, it looks great.” He said much more calmly. 

Shiro smiled and cleared his throat. “Thanks,” he looked like he was trying to say something else as well, but couldn’t manage it. Keith waited anxiously for him to speak. “Have you…?” He gestured towards Keith’s stressed and straining shirt. “Been hitting the gym or something?” He finally finished.

Keith chuckled and blushed. “Pottery wheel actually.” He murmured. 

“Right, right.” Shiro swiped his hands across his jaw and laughed. “Ok, we should really head in, we’ll talk after.” He stammered and turned towards the door.

Keith looked down at his shirt and frowned.  _ Does it really look that bad? _ He wondered to himself as he followed Shiro in. They sat down next to each other in the block of four open seats at the end of the table. Pidge elbowed Keith gently with a smirk, mouthing the “word”  _ smedium  _ at him. Keith stuck out his tongue and kicked at her feet under the table in response. 

Before their aggressive game of footsie could escalate any farther, Matt and Lotor walked in. “Hey guys, sorry we’re late!” Matt called cheerfully, pausing to press a kiss to his mother’s cheek before looping around to the other side of the table to press a kiss to Honerva’s as well. 

She laughed and patted him on the arm. “Always a pleasure to see you, Matthew.” 

“We would have been concerned had you been on time.” Zarkon replied with a fond smile as they took their seats. 

Lotor rolled his eyes at his father’s teasing, but Matt laughed. “You’re not wrong.” He agreed. “Have you guys ordered yet? How late are we?” He asked, shoving up his sleeve to look at his watch. 

Allura chuckled. “Half an hour, as usual.” She chided. “Everyone’s gotten drinks but I told them to wait for everything else.” 

“Thanks, pal.” Matt winked as Lance glared from around her shoulder. Matt didn’t notice though, already turning to Shiro. “Yes! Nice. Love it.” He said gesturing to his hair. “Did Lotor help you with this?” 

Shiro blushed and shook his head. “Allura actually.” 

Matt nodded. “Big fan.” 

“Yeah, we can be done now.” Shiro murmured uncomfortably.

Peering past Shiro, Matt smiled at Keith. “Keith’s a big fan, too.” 

Keith’s eyes widened, but before he could respond, Matt moved on. “Where have you been all summer, by the way? Mount Olympus?” 

Keith slapped a hand over his face, hiding his eyes and blushing cheekbones for a moment. “Pottery studio.” He deadpanned. Shiro looked over at him with a shy smile and nodded approvingly.

Matt went around the table to greet his other friends as they waited for dinner and it slowly dawned on him that everyone was looking towards his end of the table. He turned around and looked behind both of his shoulders before frowning and looking over at Lotor. 

“Why is everyone being weird?” He asked suspiciously. 

Lotor smiled at him took his hand. “I think they’re waiting for me to get started.” He said quietly. 

“Get started with what?” Matt turned and looked at Shiro with a glare. “This is your fault, I’m positive.” 

Shiro laughed and nodded back to Lotor. “Pay attention to your boyfriend, he’s trying to be sweet.” 

Matt whipped his head back around towards Lotor, murmuring. “Sorry, angel, go ahead.”

Lotor cleared his throat and rubbed his palms on his pant before starting. “4 years is a long time to spend with someone, and every day I'm so thankful that it's you I wake up to.” Lotor started with a practiced fluidity. “That's why, for our anniversary this year, I wanted to do something special.” He turned and smiled at Shiro and Keith. “And I had a quite a bit of help.” 

Matt turned and shook his head at both of them with a wide grin. “I knew it,” he mumbled, turning back to Lotor. 

Lotor looked over at Allura and she pulled a plain-looking box from under her chair, handing it to him. He sat it in front of Matt, who looked up at him in amused confusion before reaching for it, but Lotor held the lid shut for a moment. 

He took a deep, steadying breath. “It's something of a riddle.” He looked into Matt's eyes with the most loving gaze Keith had ever seen. 

Keith risked a glance over at Shiro and saw him staring in rapt attention, eyes already a little misted over. Lotor's voice brought his attention back to the scene at the other side of the table. 

“It has many answers, all of them correct.” He took Matt's hand and brought it up to his lips. “I’m hoping that I know which solution you choose.” Lotor brought his hands back down to his lap and gestured for Matt to open the box. 

Keith kept glancing at Shiro as Matt untied the single green ribbon and pulled the gift out of the box. Shiro was barely keeping it together, and all Keith wanted to do was take his hand or squeeze his knee under the table, but he crossed his arms instead. 

Matt flipped the block of blown and etched glass around a few times before noticing the piece of paper at the bottom of the box. He turned the statuette the correct direction according to the small diagram and read the numbers underneath it, tracing the etched pattern reverently before putting everything back in the box. 

He looked up at Lotor with watery eyes and a wobbly grin. “You are such a brilliant, sexy, dork, I love you so much.” Matt choked out, voice husky and raw from his unshed tears. He flung his arms around Lotor's shoulders and kissed him three times in rapid succession before nuzzling into his neck. 

Shiro was wiping his red eyes as Keith glanced over again, and he started crying as soon as Matt did. Not able to resist anymore, Keith scooted a little closer and squeezed Shiro’s shoulder. He looked up with a watery grin of his own and gave Keith a thumbs up, the smile they shared seemed private despite the throng of their friends and family around them. 

“I did have help.” Lotor pointed out, nuzzling his cheek into the top of Matt's head before leaning them away from each other. “I'm… I'm guessing that's a…?” He stammered out. Keith thought it was kind of adorable to see someone like Lotor, usually so calm and cool, so flustered. 

Matt laughed and kissed him again softly. “Yes. It's absolutely a yes.” He said quietly. It was easy to tell they both felt like the only two people in the room- maybe the world. 

Keith's romantic musings were interrupted by an undignified “huh?” across the table. 

Pidge rolled her eyes. “It's a waveform of Lotor asking Matt to marry him.” She explained, as though it should have been obvious. 

Lance's eyes went wide. “Whoa! That's so cool! Can I see it?” He looked longingly at the box. 

Matt's eyes narrowed as he slid it down the table. “If you break it, we're serving Lance Heart Soup at the reception.” He threatened. 

Lance rolled his eyes, but carefully pulled the glass figure out of the box. “Whoa… this like… really cool.” He said carefully tilting it. “How did you come up with this?” He asked, looking at Lotor as he set it gently back into place. 

Lotor smiled at Matt. “I saw a website where you could have waveforms engraved on wood or jewelery. Originally I was planning on doing that with the ring.” He looked over at Shiro and Keith with another fond smile. “Shiro helped come up with this idea instead, and Keith designed and taught me how to etch it. I can't thank them enough.” 

Shiro and Keith looked back at him with equally happy smiles. “We were happy to help.” Shiro said glancing at Keith before he spoke. “You two are perfect for each other and we love you both.” 

Keith cleared his throat and sat up a little straighter. “Yeah. Ditto.” He was more than a little uncomfortable with so many eyes on him. 

“Whoa whoa, Keith, you etched these? Like carved them?” Lance asked incredulously, running a finger over the black lines in the glass. 

Keith shrugged. “Well, Lotor did that one, but I showed him how. Used a laser. It was pretty cool.” He said nonchalantly. 

Lance's jaw dropped. “Teach me…” He was leaning halfway over the table. 

“Come to the studio with me later.” Keith said with a shrug. 

Conversation began to buzz around the table as everyone congratulated the happy couple. Everyone lingered throughout dinner, talking excitedly about wedding plans. Towards the end of the meal, Matt sidled up next to Shiro with a wry grin. “How long did you guys know?”

Shiro turned to Keith and smiled before looking back at Matt. “He told us in July.” 

“July!?” Matt nearly shouted. “How the hell did you guys keep that a secret for so long?” 

Keith laughed. “I was gone for most of it.” 

Shiro smirked and crossed his arms. “Maybe you’re just not as smart as you think you are, Matty.” 

Matt put his hand over his chest and dropped his jaw open as far as it would go. “And here I was, about to ask you to be my best man. Wow, Shiro.” 

Shiro rolled his eyes. “Whatever, we’re not going to Vegas for your bachelor party.” 

Keith laughed. “Maybe  _ Shiro’s _ not going to Vegas for your bachelor party.” He countered. 

Shiro turned back to him and stared in shock while Keith and Matt laughed. 

“Ok, ok, we’ll put a pin in this for now.” Matt replied, mouthing  _ Vegas  _ at Keith and winking. “Hey, everyone!” Matt called, getting the group’s attention. “We’re leaving in like 5 minutes, so call Lotor’s secretary to schedule some more hugs. We got rings to look at.” 

Everyone laughed and made one last round of congratulations before Matt and Lotor filed out of the room. As the rest of their friends and family filtered out two at a time, Keith hung back, waiting to talk to Shiro. Lotor’s parents stopped them as Keith followed behind Shiro, attempting to leave. 

“Thank you boys so much for helping Lotor with his proposal. I’m glad he has you both.” Honerva said with a soft smile. 

Shiro and Keith blushed. “We were happy to help ma’am.” Keith replied quietly. 

She looked fondly between them and then up at her husband. “And I’m sure he needed all the help he could get, if he’s anything like his father when it comes to romance.” 

“Honerva, please,” Zarkon murmured, dark cheeks flushing nearly purple. 

Shiro and Keith both tried not to laugh as Honerva grinned up at him. “He really didn’t need too much help, just a nudge in the right direction. Matt isn’t exactly the easiest person to romance.” Shiro explained with a grin.

“Well the two of you make a great team, I hope Lotor continues relying on your guidance for the wedding.” Zarkon added with a grateful nod. He held his arm out for his wife to take and excused them. 

“That was… weird.” Shiro said with an awkward chuckle. 

“Little bit.” Keith mumbled with a blush. “So, are you swamped until after opening day?” 

Shiro frowned and shrugged. “For the most part. I blocked off the night before so I can freak out in the privacy of my own home.” He admitted with a grimace. 

Keith laughed. “Well, pencil in a few minutes to drop by my place during your freakout. I have something gym-related for you.” 

Placing a hand on Keith’s shoulder and squeezing gently, Shiro smiled appreciatively. “Definitely will do.” He promised. 

Keith headed back to Hunk’s car with a nervous grin.  _ Finally,  _ he thought to himself, more than a little giddy,  _ this’ll be perfect.  _

..

The night before Shiro’s gym opened, Keith was almost as much of a wreck as Shiro. He’d gotten the “be there in 10” text 8 minutes ago and had pulled the easel with his painting on it out from the back of his closet. Arranging it in the middle of the room, he recovered it with the sheet, trying to figure out how he was going to do the reveal. 

_ I can’t just, ‘tah dah! Here it is!’  _ Keith grumbled in his head with a frown, so deep in thought that the knock on the door startled him. His heart was hammering as he walked into the living room and to answer it, and Shiro’s smiling face did nothing to calm his nerves. 

“Hey,” Keith said quietly, “thanks for coming.” 

“I really needed the distraction, I’m pretty sure I’ve worn a hole in my living room from all the pacing.” Shiro said with a nervous laugh. 

Keith chuckled. “You’re gonna do fine.” He reassured, gesturing for Shiro to follow him into his bedroom. He shut the door behind them and swallowed hard, walking to the center of the room where he’d set up the easel. Keith paused with his hand gripped tightly in the sheet covering the canvas. 

“So, I actually meant to give you this for your birthday, but…” He couldn’t make himself finish the sentence with  _ I chickened out _ so he trailed off. “Anyway, I figured it works better now, since you named your gym  _ Endeavor _ .” He finished, taking a deep breath as he pulled the sheet off.

After a moment, Shiro took two steps forward and trailed a finger down the side of the painting with his mouth hung open in awe. “Keith,” he whispered breathlessly, “this is… it’s incredible.” He turned and looked at Keith, working his jaw like he was trying to say something. Instead he pulled Keith in for a tight hug, the sheet falling between them. 

“I’m… I’m glad you like it.” He murmured, resting his cheek against Shiro’s neck. They’d hugged countless times before but something about the way Shiro held him then felt different. Shiro’s arms wrapped around him, holding them chest to chest and hip to hip as he rubbed his cheek against Keith’s hair.   

Shiro squeezed him a little closer before stepping back, holding Keith by his forearms and looking into his eyes. “I love it, Keith.” The quiet emotion in his voice made the air feel electric between them, and Keith couldn’t stop himself from letting his gaze flit briefly to Shiro’s mouth. 

His heart pounded as Shiro’s eyes widened just enough to let Keith know that he’d noticed. Keith tipped his chin up as Shiro swallowed hard and leaned closer. “Shiro…” Keith whispered, eyes fluttering closed. 

“Hey what do you want for dinner? Lance says pizza.” Hunk asked loudly, slamming Keith’s door open without knocking. 

Shiro jumped out of Keith’s arms like he’d been burned, tripping over the sheet and nearly knocking the easel over. Thankfully he caught the painting as it fell. 

Hunk’s eyes widened as he looked between them. “Are you? Were you?” He stammered before clearing his throat. “I mean, Shiro, I didn’t know you were here. Would you like to stay for dinner?” 

Shiro stammered a bit at the question, staring at the painting in his hands. “No, I should… I should go bring this to the gym. So I can hang it up behind the desk.” His face was bright red. “Thanks again, Keith, great work.” He said with an awkward laugh. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” 

Keith watched as Shiro hurried from the room and hung his head miserably as he heard the front door slam. 

“What… just happened?” Hunk asked incredulously as Keith groaned and threw himself onto his bed. 

“You really…  _ really  _ need to learn to knock.” He groused into his pillow. 

Hunk grabbed Keith’s chair and pulled it closer to the bed. “Please tell me that was what it looked like.” 

Keith sighed and rolled over, staring up at the ceiling. “Yeah…” 

Hunk leaned his head back against the chair and groaned. “What are you doing? Go run after him or something!” 

Shaking his head, Keith looked up at Hunk with tired resignation in his eyes. “’S already weird. You saw how weird he got.” Keith sighed. 

Hunk cringed in agreement. “I’m  _ so _ sorry, I’m never walking into another room without knocking for the rest of my life. Even if the door is open.” He promised, eyes watering a little. 

Keith sighed again and sat up. “It’s fine. I’ll… I’ll talk to him about it later, I guess.” He buried his face in his hands for a brief moment. “So, about that pizza.” 

Hunk didn’t take the hint that Keith was desperate for the subject to change. “Seriously, I am SO sorry. I can’t believe I did th-”

Keith held a hand up to stop him as his phone started buzzing. “Just… go make pizza. I gotta take this.” He said, pulling his phone out his pocket and reading the caller ID. It was his boss from his internship. 

“Your rocket painting was really pretty by the way!” Hunk murmured with his best puppy dog eyes as Keith shut the door and answered the phone. 

..

The next morning, Keith couldn’t stop staring at his phone on the way to class. He knew that the small opening ceremony with Shiro’s investors and the handful of employees he’d signed on was supposed to be over by then. When it finally buzzed as he sat down at his desk, the message was a picture of Shiro smiling and holding up a peace sign at the front desk, Keith’s painting hung in a beautiful frame right behind him, with the caption, “It went awesome! Can’t wait til you get a chance to come by and see it!” 

Keith locked his screen and stared down at his desk for a long moment before sliding his phone back into his pocket with a forlorn sigh. He really needed to talk to Shiro. 


	11. October

A loud knock startled Keith from the near trance he was in as he drew. “S’open!” He called, setting his pen down gently and turning towards the door. 

Hunk poked his head in with a grin. “Hey, Pidge told me that your presence is mandatory at this fall festival thing. She already bought you a ticket.” 

Keith rolled his eyes. “I'll pay her back, 'm in the middle of something.” He said, turning back to his desk and to pick his pen up again.

Hunk stepped into the room and shut the door behind him quietly, walking over to sit on Keith's bed. “Shiro's gonna be there.” He said in a sing-song lilt. 

Keith whipped his head around harshly. “Did you tell Pidge?” He whispered with clenched teeth. 

“No! He just really wanted to go, so Pidge said that she'd go with him. And then he got weird because I was going along, even though he didn't say it was weird, it was like… heavily implied that it was weird.” Hunk rambled, gesturing wildly.

Keith sighed. He and Shiro had texted a few times back and forth since the almost-kiss and the gym opening, but Shiro had been too busy to hang out.  _ We do really need to talk,  _ Keith mulled over in his head with a sigh. 

“Fine. When is it?” He asked. 

Hunk grinned up at him. “Right now! Come on, let's go.” He stood and grabbed Keith's arm gently. 

Keith shook his head and pulled his arm back. “You are such…” he trailed off as he pulled on the familiar soft, gray hoodie. It had stopped smelling like Shiro months ago, but Keith still thought of it as his. 

“An amazing best friend-slash-roommate?” Hunk finished for him with a grin as Keith slipped on his shoes.

“Yeah that's definitely what I was gonna say,” Keith grumbled sarcastically, following him out of the apartment. 

As awkward as it had been to pile into the back of Hunk’s car where Pidge and Shiro had been waiting for them, the soft smile on Shiro’s when he noticed the sweatshirt was worth it. The fair turned out to be a lot of fun. It had fresh grilled corn on the cob, interestingly carved pumpkins, loads of silly games, and a bunch of rides that Hunk had turned green just looking at. 

Shiro went with him on several of the more sketchy-looking, rickety roller coaster-esque rides, and they all took turns winning Pidge ridiculously sized stuffed animals at the various games of skill. The hard conversation Keith knew they needed to have loomed heavily in the back of his mind, but it was easy to push down as they whiled away the afternoon and early evening. 

Keith had almost been thinking of it like a double-date until Pidge and Hunk had abandoned them on a bench to go wait in an obscenely long line for fried oreos and twinkies. Shiro and Keith had both balked at the price and the very notion of eating such a calamity. Instead, they sat on the bench together in companionable silence for a while, enjoying each other’s company  and watching the sun set in the crisp fall air. 

“Do you remember that year we all did a group Halloween costume?” Shiro asked with a wistful smile. 

Keith groaned. “God, coordinating 6 people's costumes and making sure they didn't look like crap was torture.” He frowned remembering the long hours he'd spent in Kolivan's garage. Thankfully it had been before Allura or Lotor had been in the picture, so he hadn’t had to organize all 8 of them. 

As Keith reminisced, Shiro shoved playfully at his shoulder. “It's not our fault you had to have everything be professional cosplay quality.” He teased as Keith wrinkled his nose and crossed his arms. “Not that we didn't appreciate it.” He amended, patting Keith's knee. 

“Yeah, whatever.” Keith replied, his voice suggested irritation but the fond smile on his face said otherwise. “It's a little late to pull something like that again this year.” He pointed out with a hint of disappointment.  _ If you had asked a couple weeks ago... _

Shiro interrupted Keith's thought with a dismissive laugh. “Lotor wears the same thing every year anyway.” 

Keith didn't miss the slight hint of forlorn nostalgia flash across his face. “We could dress up as Aragorn and Gimli, surprise group costume.” He suggested, lightly knocking their elbows together. 

The idea earned him a genuine smile and laugh. “That would be hilarious, but it'd be too expensive to pull off well compared to Lotor's.” Shiro said, turning to him with tentative hope in his eyes and pursed lips. “We could do something, though? Something a little easier?” He asked pensively.

Keith grinned and nodded. “Yeah, could be fun.” He hummed in thought and crossed his arms. 

“I've been watching a let's play of  _ Ocarina of Time _ lately, something Zelda wouldn't be too hard.” Shiro suggested. Keith raised an eyebrow and one corner of his mouth at the statement. “Oh shut up,” Shiro groused, embarrassed. “It helps me sleep.” 

Keith laughed and rolled his eyes jokingly. “Ok, so… different colored Link costumes?” He suggested. 

Shiro blushed and ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, I think I still have my blue tunic from when Matt and I went to comic-con.” 

Nodding along, Keith rubbed at his chin. “I could do Dark Link pretty easily. Just dye everything black.” 

The look of excitement on Shiro's face was already well worth the stained jeans and Kolivan's subtle judgment. 

“That would be awesome, Keith.” Shiro's eyes lit up as he spoke. “It'll be like we're kids again, instead of boring adults trying to figure out how jobs and taxes and hiring people works.” He said with a self-deprecating laugh. 

Keith put his hand on Shiro's shoulder and squeezed reassuringly. “You're not boring. And you'll figure it out. Meantime, we'll dress up like nerds and eat way too much candy to take your mind off it for a while.” 

The gratitude and fondness in Shiro's eyes as he smiled back had Keith’s mouth running dry.  _ This might be the last Halloween I get to spend with everyone.  _ He knew he had to tell Shiro sooner rather than later, and today was as good a day as any. 

“Shiro, there's something really important I need to talk to you about…” Keith wiped his suddenly sweaty palms on his pants. 

Shiro furrowed his brows at the worried look on Keith's face. “Sure. What’s on your mind?” He asked, the small distance between them on the bench suddenly felt like miles. 

“Heard from my old boss a couple weeks ago. She wants… she wants me to take a job up there. Starting in January.” Keith explained quietly, staring at his hands in his lap. 

Shiro was silent for a long moment, staring out as the last of the sun dipped below the horizon. “What about your degree?” He asked in a voice so soft it was hard to hear him over the commotion of the fair around them. 

“Said they'd pay for me to finish it online or transfer or something.” He kicked at the dirt in front of the bench. “We’re supposed to finalize the details if I officially sign on.”   _ Tell me you want me to stay, _ Keith thought desperately.  _ Tell me not to go. _

“Keith, that's…” Shiro chuckled humorlessly and shook his head. “That's really incredible. You must have really impressed them this summer.” He knocked his shoe into Keith's to get him to look up. “Are you going to… accept the offer?” 

He couldn't read the expression on Shiro's face. “I… don't know.” He looked away again. “Not like it's my dream job or anything, probably just grunt work for a few years.” 

Shiro nudged his elbow lightly into Keith's. “Still, though, you already have studios banging on your door and you're not even out of school yet. Maybe I should get an autograph now, before you start charging.” Shiro joked. 

Feeling as if it was the only thing he could do, Keith laughed as well. A brief, awkward silence stretched between them.  

“When do you have to decide?” Shiro asked, eyes downcast at his shoes. 

“She gave me until November 1st.” He answered with a sigh.

Shiro swallowed hard and nodded. “So you'd have to… to leave what? First week of January?” 

“Yeah, the 7th would be my first day.” He answered as he noticed Pidge and Hunk walking back towards them, disgusting fried snacks in hand. “I'm not… I'm not sure what I'm gonna do. So if you could just keep this between us…” 

Shiro held a hand up and shook his head. “Yeah of course. Definitely.” He promised as a brief flash of sadness flitted across his face before he smiled. “I'm… really proud of you, Keith. That's great.” 

Keith managed to lilt one corner of his mouth into a half-smile. “Thanks.”  _ He thinks I should go,  _ Keith realized as Shiro stood up and walked towards their friends. 

Keith stood up to follow and had to take a deep breath to keep himself in check; it hadn’t been at all the reaction he was hoping for. As they walked to the car, Shiro teased Hunk and Pidge for the snack of choice like everything was fine. 

_ I should… I should probably take it then,  _ he thought, the realization hurting more than he expected it to. 

He tried to keep in high spirits on the drive home, his friends making it easy if a little bittersweet. If these were going to be the last few months he got to spend with everyone, he was determined to make the best of them. 

..

Keith had been adamant that he didn't want anything for his birthday- just to have a good time at Allura's Halloween party. His friends had showered him in new art supplies of every variety anyway. The day had been calm and relaxing; Keith spent it working on his costume and had a nice family meal with Kolivan, and a brief video call with his mom. 

The group had all been weirdly hush-hush about their costumes for the party and it made Keith suspicious. He knew Lotor would wear his needlessly elaborate and expensive Legolas costume, just like he did every year, but everyone else was a toss up.

Everyone but Shiro, at least. They hadn't really had time to see much of each other since the festival but they had texted back and forth sharing photos and updates on their progress. Shiro had finished his costume the night before the party, and Keith was excited to see the final piece in person. 

He was grateful for having the entire apartment to himself to get ready as he finished getting dressed. Hunk was at Pidge's, and Lance had stayed the night with Allura at her parents summer home to help her set up for the party. Her parents were already gone to their  _ winter home _ for the season, so they gave her the run of the huge place for the evening. 

Keith had briefly considered going all out with body paint, but decided against it when he realized how messy it would end up being. Instead he just pulled on his black gloves, long sleeved shirt, and leggings and pulled his recently dyed tunic and belt over top of them. After he slipped into his boots, he slid his spray-painted Master Sword into the black scabbard at his side. The black hat completed the costume and he gave his reflection a satisfied nod in the mirror. 

When he pulled into the party, music was already thumping so loud so he could feel it in his chest. He hadn’t realized Allura had invited so many people. He elbowed his way to the kitchen for a beer, thankful that they’d temporarily dropped the group no-booze rule for the night. 

Lance was already there, talking to a few friends from school as Keith wedged his way in. “Wow are you Goth Zelda?” Lance asked with a laugh. 

Keith glared. “I’m Dark Link, from Ocarina of Time!” He shook his head. “Who are you supposed to be? Mowgli?” He gestured to Lance’s loincloth. 

Lance gasped, affronted. “Excuse you! I’m He-Man!” He pointed at his wig and badly sewn chest plate. “And Allura is my beautiful, mighty, Princess of Power, and together we’re a force for good, protecting the universe.” He finished dramatically, crossing his arms and thrusting his chin into the air. 

“Yeah, have fun with that.” Keith deadpanned, opening his beer. “Let me know if you see Baloo anywhere.” He turned to walk away, proud of himself for the insult, when he was almost barrelled over. 

“There’s my shadow!” Shiro shouted with a grin, grabbing Keith’s shoulders in attempt to hold him upright just before he fell. 

Keith looked up in surprise at his rosy cheeks and already lopsided hat, though the costume still looked better in person than it had in the photos. “You are… very drunk already for 9:30.” He said with a laugh. 

Shiro smirked at him. “And… I’m already winning.” He stage-whispered, pulling out his phone and scrolling to the pictures. 

The game was simple, born mostly out of Keith and Hunk’s petty jealousy. Whoever got the best photos of couples caught in awkward public displays of affection was declared Halloween King or Queen. The only rules were: every picture had to be a selfie, the photographer had to have their drink at least present in the photo (actively drinking it was worth more style points), and the amorous display couldn’t be life or career ruining for the unwitting subjects. 

Keith swore under his breath as he saw the picture of Shiro sipping his beer in front of Matt and Lotor as they made out in a secluded corner. “Starting before I got here is cheating and you know it, Takashi.” He lectured with his best offended scowl. 

It was a low-blow, Keith knew it always caught Shiro off guard when he called him by his full name. As Shiro blushed, he used the momentary distraction to duck under Shiro's arm and worm his way to the stairwell and quickly chug his beer. 

He caught sight of a headdress that could only have been Allura in her She-Ra costume and vaulted the railing to hurry after her. She had wandered towards the side door, and he followed after her as quietly as he could. Despite the indignity of being called  _ goth Zelda  _ he was more than pleased with his costume choice as he slunk around the shadows on the side of the house.

Instead of Allura, he came across Lotor, standing alone at the side of the house. “Are you  _ smoking? _ ” Keith asked incredulously, popping out from behind the bushes. 

Lotor turned, wide-eyed, at where Keith had appeared seemingly from the ether, holding his hands behind his back. “No. Absolutely not. How dare you?” He sputtered indignantly. 

Keith smirked. “Then I guess your ass is just on fire?” He gestured towards the trail of smoke coming from him. 

Sighing, Lotor let his hands fall slack at his sides. He dropped the cigarette on the ground and stomped it out with his boot, maintaining eye contact. “I’m sure now you’d like to make a request in exchange for your silence.” 

Keith crossed his arms. “I need to beat Shiro at the photobomb game.” 

“What do I have to do?” Lotor relented dejectedly. 

It was easier than Keith could have possibly imagined to get a much more elaborate photo of Matt and Lotor together than Shiro had. Somehow the only explanation Matt needed was “I want Keith to beat Shiro” and he was on board. It was endlessly amusing to him to have a picture of Legolas making out with Luigi across the hood of Shiro’s car, but he managed to collect himself after a few minutes and resume his search for Allura.

He eventually got a decent photo of Lance and Allura sharing a “private” moment, completely publicly in the kitchen, just after he’d given up hope of running into them and decided to get another beer. Lance demanded that he do shots in penance for “ruining the mood.” 

Slamming the third and final shot down with a grimace, Keith turned to grab a soda to chase the bitter taste from his mouth. Matt walked up beside him, reaching around for a towel to wipe off his soaking wet face. “Why... are you wet?” Keith asked, knowing he was going to regret the answer. 

Matt rolled his eyes as he toweled off. “Shannon said it was lame that Lotor wore the same costume every year,” he explained, running his hands through his slightly less damp hair. “So I said she was just jealous that he would make a better sexy cat than her so she threw her drink on me.” 

Lotor sidled up behind him and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Darling, I appreciate the lengths you’re willing to go to defend my honor, but sometimes you just have to let people be wrong. Look at how popular Christopher Nolan movies are.” He chided teasingly. 

Matt turned around in his embrace and wrapped his arms around Lotor’s shoulders. “I can’t believe we’re getting married, I love you so much.” His voice broke melodramatically as he pretended to sob with joy, standing on tiptoes to press their lips together.   
  


Keith grimaced. “Guys, stop. I already got a way better picture than that. At least get a room.” 

Matt flipped him off but showed no signs of breaking their kiss. Keith rolled his eyes and looked away as he picked up his drink from the counter. His eyes widened in shock as he noticed Pidge and Hunk, walking towards the back door. He sprinted out of the kitchen and towards the living room, where he’d last seen Shiro in the middle of a keg stand a few minutes ago. 

He appeared to be finished, both with the keg stand and with any hope of coherency as he leaned against a wall. Keith sympathized as he pushed through the rest of the partygoers to get to him. 

“Ok truce.” Keith grabbed onto Shiro’s arm as much for balance as to get his attention. 

Shiro frowned, but helped steady Keith with his other hand. “Uh, no? Why would we truce?” He slurred. 

Keith looked up at him with deadly seriousness and grabbed the front of his tunic. “Pidge and Hunk just went outside to  _ talk.”  _

Shiro’s eyes widened. “Ok deal, truce.” 

Keith let go of his shirt and took a step back. “If we go out to the balcony on the second floor we should be able to get a good shot.” 

Shiro hardly waited for him to finish talking before turning and barrelling through the crowd towards the stairs. Keith followed, hot on his heels. They were both laughing and shushing each other as they slid the balcony door shut behind them. Crouch-walking up to the railing, Keith peered over and confirmed he had his targets in sight before motioning Shiro to join him. 

“They really are just… talking.” Shiro whispered, voice laden with disappointment. 

Keith shushed him again. “Just wait… they’re makin’ eyes.” He assured, pointing down towards them. 

It was a little bit of a bizarre sight, Hunk decked out as Princess Peach, crown and all, holding Pidge (dressed as Mario, of course) in his arms as they talked quietly. Keith was too far away to hear what they were saying, but the romance of the moment was apparent. “Quick, hold my feet.” Keith whispered as he scrambled up the railing. 

“Keith, wait, what?” Shiro sputtered, grabbing onto Keith’s legs as he wrapped them around the railing and hung down. 

He pulled himself back up. “They hardly even hold hands in front of anyone, I’m getting this picture.” Keith explained with fiery determination before swinging down again. 

It wasn’t really a full on makeout, just a light peck of lips, and if Keith really thought about it, he had to admit that it was much sweeter than it was gross. Shiro handed Keith’s beer down to him and Keith got the upside-down photobomb of the gentle kiss quickly and quietly. It was a little bit of a struggle to pull him back up without the couple below noticing, but they managed. 

Keith took the phone out from between his teeth and unlocked it again, beaming with pride as he showed Shiro the photo. “That’s actually kind of…” Shiro furrowed his brows as he tried to come up with the word. “I don’t know, it was so sweet it kind of makes me feel creepy for taking a picture.” 

Cringing, Keith looked at it again. “Yeah… should we delete it?” 

“Pfft, no. We totally won!” Shiro said with a laugh. “ _ Delete it _ ,” he grumbled under his breath teasingly as he pulled on the door. “Uh, Keith…” 

Keith paled. “Is the door…?” 

“Yup.” Shiro confirmed, tugging on it again. 

Keith sat down on the hard balcony floor against the railing and huffed. “Great.” He kicked at an errant leaf that had blown off of one of the many potted plants. Shiro walked back over and sat down nearly on top of him. Keith almost shifted over, but the warmth of their legs resting next to each other was too alluring. 

“We could text Matt or something,” Keith suggested, tearing his gaze away to look up at Shiro. 

He knew it was a mistake as soon as their eyes met. “We could…” Shiro agreed, in a way that didn’t at all suggest agreement. 

“Or…?” Keith prompted. He couldn’t keep his eyes from darting down to Shiro’s lips. That was a mistake, too. 

The world spun as Shiro turned his whole body to straddle Keith’s lap, trapping him against the railing. Shiro’s hands gripped the thin rails on either side of Keith’s head as he leaned down, their noses almost touching. Inhibitions thoroughly lowered and any patience for wanting to do things  _ the right way _ promptly fleeing, Keith threw his arms around Shiro’s shoulders and threaded one hand into his hair as he surged forward.

It was a sloppy, drunken mess of a kiss, Keith would freely admit. Shiro’s hands dropped from the railing, the right snaking to Keith’s back to hold him up as the left cupped his cheek. Shiro tasted like cheap beer and skittles and it was more intoxicating than the too many shots Lance had convinced him were a good idea earlier in the night. 

Keith held onto Shiro like a liferaft in a storm as their mouths moved against each other with little finesse. He didn’t register what was happening as Shiro’s right arm pulled away until Shiro was laughing against his lips. 

Shiro pulled back with a sharp gasp as Keith nipped his bottom lip in protest. “Don’t give me that,” Shiro murmured at Keith’s glare, swiping his thumb across Keith’s mouth. “I just got the definite best picture of the night.” His cocky grin had Keith’s heart racing even faster. 

He didn’t move from Keith’s lap as he turned the phone around, showing the dark, blurry photo he’d taken of their kiss. “Shiro…” Keith whispered, looking from the screen up to Shiro’s face. 

He was warring between leaning up for another kiss and actually trying to talk things out when Shiro dropped his phone between them. As it clattered onto the wood, Shiro wrapped his legs around Keith’s waist making his decision all too easy.  

They moved towards each other at the same time, Keith’s hands roving down Shiro’s chest to grip at his hips just as Shiro pressed their bodies closer together. Keith’s shoulders hit the railing with a thud. The guttural moan Keith felt more than heard as he slid his hands lower to grip tightly at Shiro’s ass would be burned into his memory as long as he lived.

Keith’s chest burned with the need for air and he was more than a little dizzy when Shiro finally pulled his head away. He slumped forward into Shiro’s chest and panted for a moment as Shiro’s hand lazily drifted up and down his back. His eyes widened in shock as Shiro suddenly stood up and backed away, hand to his mouth. 

“I swear… this is nothing…” he gasped between his fingers as he doubled over, “to do with you… but I’m gonna puke…” 

Keith was on his feet faster than he thought possible, arm already around Shiro’s back, leading him away from the railing to prevent catastrophe befalling any innocent passersby. He dug his phone out of his pocket with his free hand and dialed Matt. 

“Hey, we’re stuck on the second floor balcony next to Allura’s room. Can you open the door? Shiro’s about to puke.” He rushed out before Matt even had the chance to properly greet him. 

The door slid open only moments later as Matt poked his head outside. “Come on, let’s get him horizontal with a trash can.” He grumbled, gesturing them inside. 

Keith wouldn’t let go of him, even as they struggled to fit through the doorway and into the guest suite properly. “Can you make it to the bathroom?” He asked quietly, rubbing at Shiro’s back as he sat him on the bed and grabbed the small waste basket Matt had retrieved. 

Shiro took the basket and shook his head miserably. Matt sighed and left the room, mumbling something about water as they sat together. Keith held the basket on Shiro’s lap steady with one hand as he continued rubbing Shiro’s back with the other. 

“Sorry,” Shiro groaned, breathing hard as he tried not to throw up. 

“It’s ok.” Keith reassured soothingly. 

Matt poked his head back in, bottle of water in hand. “Just chug this and puke, you’ll feel better, I promise.” He opened it and handed it to Shiro. 

Shiro took a few delicate sips before slumping even further. “I think I’m ok, just need to… lay down…” He mumbled. 

Keith sighed and looked up at Matt. “Can you hold him up while I get his arm off?” He asked quietly. 

Matt nodded and grabbed Shiro by the left shoulder and the right side of his ribcage while Keith wrestled his tunic open and took off the prosthetic, flipping it into power-saving mode. As soon as his arm was off and laid safely on the dresser, they pulled Shiro’s boots off and pushed him all the way into the bed. Comforted by the peaceful look on Shiro’s already-sleeping face, Keith pushed the trash can closer and stood up. 

He took a deep breath in and let out a harsh exhale. The other side of the bed was more than a little tempting, but he didn’t know if he was ready to face the aftermath of what had happened on the balcony. 

“Is anybody downstairs good to drive?” Keith’s voice shook as he asked. 

“I don’t know about them, but I am.” Matt answered, crossing his arms. “You ok?” 

Keith looked away from Matt’s suspicious gaze and his eyes landed on Shiro’s phone still out on the balcony. “I don’t know. I just wanna go home.” He murmured. 

Matt shrugged and threw his arm around Keith’s shoulders. “Alright, I’ve thrown up in your truck a bunch, fair’s fair.” 

Keith knew Matt was trying to lighten the mood and he should laugh at the joke, but he was too exhausted. “Thanks,” he said quietly instead. 


	12. November

Keith had hoped he’d been drunk enough not to remember the night before, but everything came slamming back with crystal clarity as he held his aching head and ran his tongue across his swollen lips. He sat up and grabbed his phone off his desk to see if Shiro had sent anything, but his only message was from Matt, telling him to drink water. 

He tried to steady his rapid heart with deep breaths, but nothing helped as his thumbs typed and deleted message after message. “You make it?” He finally decided on, hitting send and flopping across his bed with a sigh. 

Keith stared up at the ceiling, so dizzy it spun. He knew he needed water and food and a shower, but he couldn't make his legs move. Almost half an hour later, his phone buzzed on his chest. “Kinda wish I didn't, but yeah lol” was Shiro's reply. “How did my phone get on the balcony??” Came shortly after. 

_ This is a sick joke,  _ Keith thought to himself. He forwarded the picture of Hunk and Pidge with the caption “lol” and finally stumbled out of his room. It was almost 10am by the time he'd cleaned up and eaten and felt like most of a person again.  _ I can skip one day of class, I hardly ever skip,  _ he justified to himself as he sat back on his bed with his laptop.

The email he'd started to his old boss stared back at him mockingly from the screen. He reread it for what felt like the thousandth time before adding,  _ Best Regards, Keith  _ and hitting send. His phone buzzed again. “Sorry I pulled a Matt, I hope I didn't ruin Halloween for you @.@” 

Keith smiled at Shiro's message. “You definitely didn't! It was fun” he replied, confident he'd made the right decision. He fell asleep before Shiro replied. 

.. 

Every year for Allura's birthday, the whole group met up at the Holts’ house the week before Thanksgiving for what she'd dubbed “friendsgiving”. It was generally the only time they had all together between Halloween and the annual New Year's bash. Keith always made sure to bring Colleen and Sam new paintings for their offices as “thank you for letting us trash your basement constantly” gifts along with whatever he made or bought for Allura.

The Holts had loved this years additions, one was Callisto with part of Jupiter cut off in the corner, and the other was the rest of the planet, with Europa falling off the canvas on the other side. Keith had made sure they would look good next to each other or separately. 

“What else do you get the rocket scientists that have everything?” He'd said with a shy chuckle as they thanked him and excitedly planned out where they'd look best. 

He'd finished Allura's present over the summer during his pottery binge. Holding the box up carefully, he cautioned her before handing it over. “It's really… delicate. Didn't wrap it so it wouldn't get jostled a bunch, sorry.” 

Allura smiled and assured him she'd be careful as she dug through the bubble wrap. “Oh, Keith. It's lovely.” She said reverently, holding the small tea cup to the light to look at the intricately carved design. 

“There were supposed to be two… but the handle fell off the other one.” He admitted with a blush. “And it can't go in the dishwasher.” 

She put it back in the box securely and threw her arms around Keith's shoulders. “It's perfect, thank you.” 

Allura milled out, thanking everyone for coming and for her other gifts while Hunk busied himself in the kitchen preparing dinner. He called periodically demanding stirrers or taste-testers and everyone took turns helping out where they could. 

Shiro showed up only a few minutes before Hunk was ready to start serving. “Hey, sorry I’m late!” He called with a laugh, walking back to the kitchen. “I brought pie! And don’t worry, I bought it!” He set the box down on the counter next Hunk and grinned apologetically. 

Shiro still hadn't said anything about their time on the balcony, or much of anything at all, really; the gym had been keeping him extremely busy. Keith was more than a little nervous about seeing him again. The bruises on his lips had long-since healed, but he still remembered how it they felt.

His stomach fluttered as Shiro greeted him, spilling a little bit of gravy over the edge of the dish he was stirring. He swore under his breath as Shiro tried to hand him a napkin. Shiro ended up bumping the gravy dish the other direction creating a second mess to clean. 

“Sorry,” Shiro murmured, blushing, as he wiped at the spill. 

“S’fine.” Keith replied, just as quietly. They stood next to each other for a long, awkward moment before Keith broke the silence. “How’s the gym going?” 

Shiro nodded a few times and took a deep breath. “Really well. It’s uh, it’s a lot of work,” he chuckled, “but it’s… great. Really great.” 

“Great.” Keith said, internally kicking himself for the stupid reply.  _ Why is this weird? Talking to Shiro has never been weird before, ever,  _ he tried not to let his discomfort show on his face. 

Hunk saved them from the awkward small talk with a bellow to help set the table. Between the three of them, they made quick work of it. Hunk set the last plate down as everyone took their seats.

“Ok, who’s kicking us off?” He asked with grin as he sat down, pulling out his phone. 

“I’m out, I’m above your petty games. Lotor and I can just judge.” Matt spoke up, reaching for a roll and frowning as Hunk slapped his hand away.

Allura laughed. “It is what you do best.” She teased with a wink. 

Hunk shook his head and spoke up before Matt or Lotor could respond. “Whatever, I did awful this year. All I got is Rolo and Nyma.” He put his phone in the middle of the table. 

It wasn’t Hunk’s best work. They were just sitting on the couch in the living room, hardly even inconveniencing the couch’s other occupant as they kissed. Plus, Hunk wasn’t even really posing. 

Matt hummed disdainfully. “Italian judge gives a 2 outta 10.”

Lotor wrinkled his nose. “I’m afraid I have to agree, it’s just not very artistic.”  

Hunk grumbled and put his phone back in his pocket. “Did you get any, Kate?” He nudged at Pidge’s elbow lightly. 

“Hold the phone.” Matt declared, throwing a hand out on the table before she could reply. “ _ Kate?”  _ Everyone else stared at her expectantly as Hunk’s face went deep red with blush. 

Pidge groaned. “Shut up, don’t make it weird. And absolutely none of you are allowed to call me that! Ever.” She glared around the table. “I didn’t get any.” She crossed her arms over her chest. 

Matt shook his head. “I’m disappointed, Pigeon.” 

“For shame.” Lotor agreed, mimicking Matt. “Allura, regale us of your triumph.” He suggested, sweeping his hand towards her. 

Allura perked up as she pulled out her own phone. “I will! I’ve got a few  _ very  _ good ones.” She set her phone down at a picture of herself and Lance making out in a corner, but one of her eyes was open and she was holding up her beer behind Lance’s head. 

Matt laughed and grabbed the phone so he could look at the photo closer. “Absolute genius. 10/10.” After everyone had gotten a good look and Lance had pouted, she scrolled to the next one. “Hey, I recognize that sexy elf.” Matt wiggled his eyebrows at Lotor suggestively. 

Allura laughed. “I almost got you on the counter, but Hunk was in the way.”

“Infinity out of 10.” Matt declared at the same time Lotor said, “Perfect 10.” 

As everyone laughed, she scrolled to the next picture but covered it with her hand before showing the group. “This isn’t technically a kiss, but I think you’ll all agree that it’s rare enough to qualify for at least a few points.” Moving her hand away from the screen dramatically, Allura revealed a picture of Pidge and Hunk holding hands as they talked quietly in a secluded room. Allura’s headdress was tilted at a wonky angle as she stretched across the doorway just enough to get the picture while staying out of sight. In the end they agreed that it counted for half credit.  

Matt frowned as he scrolled through Lance’s myriad of submissions. “They’re all a no-go, pal.” 

“What!? Why?” Lance protested with a frown, grabbing his phone back. 

Matt shook his head in a mockery of sympathy. “You forgot the first rule: your drink has to be in the picture.”

Lance groaned and slid down in his chair throwing an arm over his eyes. Allura patted his arm comfortingly. 

Shiro went next, proudly displaying his picture of Matt and Lotor actually trying to be subtle for once as they kissed sweetly on the front porch. They all decided it counted for an extra point. His photo of Lance and Allura got him full marks and he had two others that were couples not-present, throwing him far into the lead. “I have one that’s definitely gotta be the winner, but I have to share credit with Keith.” He said with a laugh, scrolling again. 

He paused as he held his phone closer to his face. Looking up slowly, his eyes met Keith’s. Keith wasn’t sure what his own face was doing; he prayed the mixture of panic, anticipation, and hope would cancel each other out into a neutral expression. Shiro looked back down at his phone and swallowed hard, scrolling again. “Sorry, found it.” He placed his phone down in the center of the table again. 

You could just barely make out Shiro’s arm holding onto Keith as he stretched upside down on the balcony, holding his beer in his free hand, high above the spot where Hunk and Pidge were kissing in the backyard. 

“Oh wow, I didn’t think anyone got it.” Hunk said with a smirk, looking between Keith and Shiro. 

“Yeah, nobody followed us out, I thought maybe we were too subtle.” Pidge agreed, adjusting her glasses. 

“Wait, what?” Shiro and Keith both asked at the same time. 

Pidge grinned. “It was totally staged. But you guys were the only ones who caught on, so good for you.” 

Shiro shook his head and grabbed his phone off of the table. “Anyway, you’re up next, Keith.” He said quietly.

Keith’s heart hammered in his chest as their eyes met again. “Yeah, uh,” He cleared his throat and showed off his various pictures, earning laughs and approving remarks as he scrolled. He got to the photo of Matt and Lotor and cringed as Shiro grabbed his phone.

“Is that  _ my car? _ ” He nearly shouted. 

Matt laughed. “Yeah, we might have staged that one a little bit, too.” He said as Lotor looked over at Keith threateningly. 

“Sorry, Shiro,” He said with an awkward chuckle. 

Shiro groaned and handed the phone back. “Well, I guess that means you won.” He admitted with a sigh. “God I hope I remembered to lock my doors.” He grumbled under his breath. 

Matt grinned and finally managed to sneak a bite of a roll before Hunk could stop him. “Bold of you to assume I don’t know how to pick locks.” 

Rolling his eyes, Hunk gestured to the food laid out on the table. “Now that Keith has been declared Halloween King, let’s dig in!”

Keith enjoyed the rest of dinner with his friends, laughing and joking as they all ate. It was a great stress-reliever with finals looming on the horizon. Everyone helped wash a few dishes and thanked the Holts for hosting their get-together again that year. Things were winding down and everyone was preparing to leave for the evening when a hand on Keith’s shoulder stopped him in his tracks. 

“Keith can I,” Shiro stopped abruptly when Keith turned towards him and took a deep breath. “Can we talk for a minute?” 

Keith nodded, not trusting his suddenly dry mouth to form a proper response. He followed as if in a trance while Shiro led them to the back patio.  _ Do I play it off? Haha, we were both so drunk, so funny, right?  _ Keith’s mind raced while he waited for Shiro to say something. 

It felt like an enternity passed before Shiro finally looked at him. “When are you planning on telling everyone you’re leaving?” 

His harsh tone and the anger in his gaze had Keith snapping his head back in surprise. “Shiro, I-” 

Shiro didn’t give him a chance to respond. “It seems really unfair to keep that a secret. You know we’re all proud of you, but springing it on them last minute is just going to piss everyone off.” 

Keith snapped his jaw shut as he considered his response. “I’ll tell them whatever I feel like I need to, whenever I’m ready.” He replied after a brief pause, crossing his arms. 

Shiro shook his head. “Will you ever actually  _ be _ ready?” The question felt like an accusation. Keith didn’t have a response. Shiro balled his hands into fists. “Whatever, I should get back to work.” He mumbled under his breath, stalking back inside. 

Keith didn’t follow him for a long time. 

..

Keith was still mad 3 days later when Shiro finally texted him. “I’m sorry about the other day. I was trying really hard to be excited for you since it’s a great opportunity but I’m gonna miss you. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you and especially not like that. We still on for Thanksgiving at your uncle’s?” 

_ He would miss me, _ Keith thought over and over again as he reread the message. “Definitely.” He stared at the screen for a minute before adding, “and don’t worry about it. We’re fine.” 

..

Shiro showed up to Kolivan’s right on time which was a welcome change. “Sorry, the only thing I’m good for is buying pies, apparently.” He said with a laugh. 

Keith took the box and gestured for him to follow into the kitchen. “It’s fine, I don’t think Kolivan has ever baked anything in his life _. _ ”  

“Sir.” Shiro greeted, sticking out his hand. 

Kolivan took it and shook once before letting go. “You’ve done something,” he gestured towards Shiro’s head. “It suits you.” He stated bluntly.

“He dyed his hair because he was going gray.” Keith teased affectionately as he pulled the turkey out of the oven. 

Shiro sputtered and put his hands on his hips, glaring at Keith. Kolivan swished his own silver braid over his shoulder. “It makes one look more distinguished, I’ve found.” He reassured Shiro with a wink.

Shiro laughed and headed into the kitchen to help Keith set the table. Kolivan watched with interest as they moved around each other. Their quiet conversation didn’t go unnoticed. 

“It’s been too long since you’ve been around, Shiro.” Kolivan said as they started eating. “How have things been?”

Dabbing his mouth with a napkin, Shiro smiled over at Keith. “Things have been great! I finally quit at the Arena, started my own gym.” He started excitedly. “I’ve been, you know, keeping really busy. I should have come around more, sorry.” He finished with a sad note in his voice. 

“Congratulations. I know that’s something you’ve wanted for a long time.” Kolivan replied tactfully, knowing what Shiro was alluding to. Keith set his fork down and took a deep breath. 

“Thank you, sir.” Shiro responded just as Keith was about to speak. He cleared his throat and plastered a smile onto his face. “We also went on that awesome camping trip!” He tried to sound more chipper. 

Kolivan nodded. “Yes, Keith told me that his tent had finally ripped.” 

Shiro laughed. “Did he also tell you that he’s a Disney Prince?” 

Kolivan raised an eyebrow as Keith sputtered. “Ok, whatever, animals like me. It’s not that weird!” He protested. 

Shaking his head, still laughing, Shiro held up a hand. “I’ve never seen anyone get close enough to touch  _ one  _ wild deer, much less  _ three. _ ” 

“Three? That’s quite impressive.” Kolivan agreed, wry grin on his face. 

Keith crossed his arms. “Whatever, make fun of me later. I have something important to tell both of you.” He grumbled, leaning back in his chair. 

“Keith…” Shiro started, eyes wavering, but a look from Keith silenced him.

“I didn’t take the job.” He blurted, staring at the table as he waited for their reactions. 

He looked up after a moment of quiet went by. Kolivan was looking at Shiro, and Shiro was looking at Keith with his mouth hung partly open. “Why?” Shiro finally squeaked out. 

Shrugging, Keith picked his fork up again. “Wanna finish my degree here. My professors have really good contacts and they’ll be better references so I can find something I actually wanna do.” He explained, looking at Shiro but unable to make himself finish the thought with  _ and I didn’t want to leave you.  _

Kolivan cleared his throat. “I think that was a wise choice, Keith. I’m sure it was a difficult call.” 

Shiro still couldn’t manage to form an entire sentence as he stared at Keith. Clearing his throat again, Keith nodded towards the laptop on Kolivan’s counter. “Speaking of calls, should we get ready for mom?” 

Kolivan looked down at his watch. “Her window opened 3 minutes ago.” He agreed, standing up to place the laptop at the unoccupied fourth seat at the table.

They sat in awkward silence as they ate, waiting for the call to come through. Keith sighed in relief when the computer chimed a few minutes later. 

Shiro stood quietly after they all exchanged warm greetings. “Where do you think you're going, young man?” Krolia asked with a fond smile. 

“Oh, I,” Shiro stammered. “I just figured you'd want some privacy.” He said with an awkward chuckle. 

Her smile faded into a smirk. “Sit down. We're having family time.” She insisted. 

Keith's face flushed a deep red. He quickly changed the subject, moving on to talk about a project he was working on for finals. They spent every second Krolia was allotted and then an additional 15 minutes that her handler graciously allowed chatting about everything they could think of. When the time came, it was hard to say goodbye. 

“I'll try to make it home for Christmas.” She promised with a sad smile. Keith knew better than to hope. 

“Just stay safe.” Keith begged instead. 

I love you's and well wishes were exchanged all around before the line finally went dead. 

“Well, boys, I'm going to watch the game.” Kolivan said decisively as he shut the laptop. “I'll remind you that the chef doesn't do the dishes in this household.” He stated with finality as he headed into the living room. 

Keith started clearing the plates away before Shiro could make himself stand up. “How long did you know?” He asked quietly, finally following Keith to the sink. 

He shrugged. “Decided before I went to the Halloween party. Didn't want it to be the last one.” He scrubbed hard at a plate so he wouldn't have to meet Shiro's eyes. 

Shiro grabbed his shoulder gently and twisted him around. “I'm so sorry. I was such an ass.” His face was a mix of too many emotions for Keith to parse. 

“It's ok, really.” He wiped his wet hands on a dishrag. “I should have just told you. I didn't mean to make it a big deal.” 

Shiro looked at him for a long moment before giving him a relieved smile. “Well, at least let me help with the dishes. I still feel bad.” 

Keith laughed and agreed, letting Shiro rinse and dry as he scrubbed. By the time they were finished, Kolivan was snoring softly in his recliner, football game long forgotten. 

Shiro chuckled at the sight. “I should probably get going.” Shiro said quietly, not wanting to wake him. 

Keith nodded. “Thanks for coming.” 

Shiro paused before pulling Keith into a tight hug. “Thank you for staying.” He murmured into Keith's hair. 

Shiro was halfway to the door before Keith fully realized what he had said. Keith followed behind him quickly. “I'm not going anywhere.” He assured. Shiro opened the door just as Keith spoke. “Not for a long time at least.” Keith blushed again. 

“Good.” Shiro replied, turning to face Keith with a smile. His eyes were red. “I'll see you around.” He said quietly, shutting the door behind him. 

Keith turned around to find Kolivan had woken up at some point during the exchange and was looking at him in amusement. “Maybe I was wrong about him. He's a good man, Keith.” 

Keith shook his head. “I'm not having this conversation.” He said, walking back into the kitchen to drown his feelings in pie. 


	13. December

Normally, Keith had his extended weekend break following the hell that was finals week at Shiro’s to look forward to, but despite how things between them seemed to have shifted at Thanksgiving, Shiro was “too busy” to hang out like they usually did. Instead he had suggested Keith go right to Kolivan’s after finals. Keith found it highly suspicious, but he didn’t question it. 

Walking out of his last final, Keith turned his phone back on and smiled at the message Shiro had left. “Sorry again for bailing on you :c I’m sure you did great tho!!!!!!!” 

Tossing his backpack onto the passenger seat, he typed out a quick reply. “Absolutely ;) how’s work?” Thankful to be done with the semester, he tossed his phone in his cup holder and headed to Kolivan’s. 

..

Keith shifted into park at the end of the driveway, caught off guard by the nondescript black sedan in his usual spot at his uncle's house. He grabbed his backpack and walked around it- it looked like a rental, and his uncle didn't usually have visitors. 

Shrugging, Keith walked inside, slipping his shoes off at the front door. “Hey Kolivan! I'm home!” He called as he made his way into the kitchen. 

Kolivan smiled at him as he walked in. “Good timing!” He said, gesturing to a pan of brownies cooling on the table.

Keith grinned and dropped his bag. Kolivan's brownies were always legendary, and the bite Keith took had him grinning from ear to ear with a humm of pleasure. 

“Perfect.” He mumbled around the still-warm chocolate in his mouth. “What’s with that weird car in the driveway?” He asked as he reached for another. 

Kolivan swatted at his hand. “You’ll ruin your dinner. And you should go check upstairs.” He answered with a smirk.

Curiosity piqued, Keith grabbed his backpack and headed up to his room. A familiar figure was standing at his dresser, smiling at a photo taped to his mirror. She turned as she heard his bag fall and smiled wider. 

“Mom? Thought you couldn’t get leave?” Keith asked, rushing into her open arms for a hug. 

“I pulled some strings. And made a few empty threats.” Krolia murmured, rubbing her face into Keith’s hair. “I didn’t want to miss Christmas after I already missed your birthday.” She said apologetically. 

Keith’s eyes misted as he buried his face into her shoulder. “Thanks.” He whispered, hugging her tighter. 

She smoothed a hand over his head and pulled back, holding him by the biceps and looking him up and down. “You’ve grown so much.” Her eyes were watery, too. 

He blushed and nodded. “Been a while.” 

“Come on,” She put an arm around his shoulders, “Kolivan promised me brownies.” Keith smiled up at her and followed her back down the stairs. 

Krolia homed in on the brownies on the counter right away, grabbing one and humming contentedly as she took a bite. “So, since your uncle’s tour is over in January, I’m considering buying my own place.” She looked at Keith in trepidation, waiting for his reaction. 

“Krolia, I told you that wasn’t necessary.” Kolivan interjected. “You’re more than welcome in our home.” 

Keith turned his head back and forth between them. “Are you… out? You’re done? For good?” He asked tentatively. 

She smiled at him fondly. “I’m out. For good. Retired.” 

Keith closed the distance between them in a few long strides and threw his arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug. Krolia chuckled and smoothed his hair down with one arm while she wrapped the other around his shoulders. 

..

A few hours went by as they talked excitedly about Krolia’s retirement, worked out a plan for real estate shopping, and caught each other up on their day-to-day lives. It was overwhelming in the best way possible, realizing he wouldn’t have the constant worry for his mother’s safety in the back of his mind. 

It was the best Christmas present possible. Kolivan had called him a sap when he’d said as much.

Finally settling down into his room for the night, Keith flopped onto his bed with a grin and grabbed his phone. He typed out, “You absolute asshole” to Shiro and hit send. 

Not even a full minute later, Shiro replied. “;)” quickly followed by, “sorry I had to be shady about it, Kolivan asked me not to tell. We still on for Christmas?” 

The thought of Kolivan calling Shiro and asking him to send Keith straight home after finals made him laugh. “Definitely. Hope Kolivan wasn't too rough on you lol” 

A series of eye emojis followed by “I lived bitch” had Keith in stitches, rolling on his bed. He fell asleep still smiling. 

..

Shiro had spent the night at Kolivan’s on Christmas Eve every year since Keith was 15. Krolia had insisted upon it when she found out Shiro was emancipated and living on his own. “Everyone should spend the holidays with family,” she'd declared, and Kolivan could deny his fiery sister-in-law nothing. Keith was more than fine with the arrangement. 

Shiro showed up at 6 that night, carrying in an armful of colorfully wrapped gifts and wearing a Santa hat at a jaunty angle on his head. He placed his presents for Kolivan and Krolia under the tree in the living room, but kept the largest box perched on his hip where Keith eyed it with keen interest. 

After greeting Krolia with a hug and Kolivan with a handshake that seemed far more awkward than normal, Keith was finally able to drag him upstairs to exchange their gifts for each other. Neither of them had been patient enough to wait for Christmas morning as kids, and the habit of opening each other’s presents the night before had stuck. 

Shiro sat down on the blow up mattress already setup on Keith’s floor as Keith dug through his backpack for Shiro’s gift. Sitting down across from him, Keith handed the envelope over with a shy smile. Shiro slid open the sealed flap and pulled the tickets out. He read the small print and looked at Keith with an excited, disbelieving grin. “Sharks tickets?” 

Keith shrugged, but his smile widened. “I know it's been years since either of us had time to follow hockey at all, but…” He licked his lips before he continued. “They're playing Pittsburgh and one of the guys from my internship was able to hook me up for cheap.” He finished with a blush. 

“I can't wait to go.” Shiro replied quietly with a fond grin. 

He slid the tickets into his wallet for safekeeping before grabbing the large box next to him and handing it to Keith. “I'm kind of realizing this is stupid now…” he admitted, squeezing his eyes shut. “It's uh, well it's kind of… for me? But it's for your apartment. It's really dumb, I'm sorry.” He rambled out with an awkward laugh. 

Keith tore through the wrapping paper and opened the box. “An extra charger for your arm…” Keith all but whispered, holding the device reverently in his hands. 

“Yeah, I figured… we could hang out more since I've gotten a few more trainers hired and stuff at the gym, and your last semester is gonna be pretty easy, so…” Shiro ran his hand through his hair. 

Keith looked up with a watery smile. “Thanks,” he said quietly. “It's… it's perfect.” 

The shy smile Shiro returned gave Keith a spark of motivation. 

“Shiro, I,” he began as he put the charger down and took a deep breath to steady his nerves before continuing, “Thank you so much for… for always being here. Mom talks about you like you’re her own kid and,” he shook his head and looked down at the box in his lap, “and you really are like family.” He regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. “That’s… that’s not really what I meant.” Shaking his head, he tried to start again. “I,” he gestured helplessly with his hands, “Never mind, this is weird.” He crossed his arms and stared at the scratchy blanket underneath them. 

“It’s not weird, Keith,” Shiro assured quietly, leaning over and putting his hand on Keith’s shoulder. “I’m,” he licked his lips and swallowed hard before continuing, “I’m glad you feel that way. It means so much to me that you and your family have been here for me.” He pulled his hand away, sitting up straighter again. “And you know I’ll be here for you, whatever you need. Always.” Shiro finished with a soft smile. 

“Thanks,” Keith replied quietly.  _ Shit did I just… brother-zone myself? He’s glad I feel that way?  _ He cleared his throat and tried to tamp down the panic rising in his gut. 

A soft knock at the door startled them both. “If you’re not at the table in 3 minutes I’m arm-wrestling your uncle for your share of the eggrolls!” Krolia called teasingly from the hallway. 

Shiro and Keith laughed a little uncomfortably at the threat, both still reeling from the intensity of their conversation. Keith grabbed the trash from their gift exchange and put the charger’s box on his desk. 

“You think she’d win?” Keith asked, attempting to keep the mood light. 

Shiro knocked their elbows together on his way to the door. “Dunno, but I want an eggroll, so let’s not find out.” He answered with a wink, pulling it open. 

Chinese food for Christmas Eve was a tradition born of laziness- no one had to cook and they ate off of paper plates or right from the carton so no one had to do dishes either. After dinner, they piled into the living room to watch old Christmas movies until Kolivan fell asleep in his chair which was everyone else’s cue to call it a night. Keith wished Shiro a good night as he turned off the light- every inch between his bed and the blow up mattress on the floor felt like miles. 

..

Shiro always woke up before him on Christmas morning, so he wasn’t surprised when a hand on his shoulder shook him gently out of sleep. Somehow he was still exhausted as he yawned and stretched. 

“Time is it?” He cracked an eye open, not expecting it to still be dark. 

“2:30,” Shiro whispered, “the air mattress has a leak or something, I woke up on the floor.” 

Keith slid over and pulled back the covers, too tired to worry about the potential for awkwardness. Shiro climbed into the small bed without hesitation, laying on his back. The momentary wave of cold from the lack of blanket was quickly replaced by Shiro’s body heat, and Keith couldn’t help but nestle into his right side. 

“Do you want me to move? I could go to the couch,” Shiro whispered, his breath shifting Keith’s bangs against his forehead. 

Rubbing his itchy head into the side of Shiro’s chest Keith grunted out a quiet “no,” tangling his cold feet in between Shiro’s warm legs and wrapping his arm around Shiro’s chest. “Comfy,” was as articulate an explanation as he could manage before falling back to sleep. 

Keith woke up again hours later with his head on Shiro’s chest and would have been content to lay there for hours more if Shiro hadn’t jostled him lightly with his shoulder after only a few minutes. 

“Hey faker, I know you’re up.” Shiro teased quietly. 

Keith mumbled nonsense under his breath before opening his eyes all the way and looking up at Shiro. “Morning.” 

Shiro smiled at him. “Merry Christmas.” 

Keith’s eyes widened at the realization and Shiro beamed as he shot up. “We gotta go wake mom up.” Keith said, scrubbing at his eyes as he threw back the covers. 

They giggled like kids as they pulled on sweatpants and t-shirts and raced across the hall to wake Krolia; she was the only one brave enough to drag Kolivan out of bed. 

The morning went by in a contented haze of pancakes and ugly sweaters and heartfelt gifts being exchanged. Krolia pulled Shiro into a loose hug as he prepared to head home and Kolivan gave him another terse handshake. Keith offered to help carry a few things out to Shiro’s car since he was loaded down with leftovers, gifts, and an overnight bag. 

Shiro smiled at him as he closed the trunk. “Thanks for the help.” He held his hand in between them. 

“Sure thing.” Keith replied, taking it and meeting him in the middle for a one-armed hug. Their fingers slid against each other as their hands fell back to their sides. “So, see at you Pidge’s party?”

Shiro nodded. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” 

After Shiro left, Keith went back to his bedroom, intent on fixing the leak in Kolivan’s air mattress. He filled it back up with air and laid down on it but he couldn’t find a hole to patch. He decided to leave it for a couple of hours but it never deflated. 

_ Did Shiro…?  _ Keith’s heart raced at the thought of Shiro making up an excuse to climb into bed with him.  _ It’s the only thing that makes sense?  _ He thought, looking over at the charger sitting on his desk. He let out a laugh, he might actually achieve his new year’s resolution after all. 

..   
  


It had turned out to be  _ incredibly difficult _ to get Shiro alone at the New Year’s party. Neither of them were drinking that night, but Keith couldn’t seem to stop getting pulled into a game or stuck in a long conversation as he and Shiro orbited each other. 

“Time for resolutions!” Pidge called, clinking a spoon against her glass. 

Keith groaned as everyone gathered into a circle in the living room. They made their way around the circle, but his eyes kept drifting to the side, studying Shiro’s face instead of paying attention. 

“Come on, Keith, what was your resolution last year? I know you made one, don’t be a party pooper!” Hunk called cheerfully.     
  


Keith gritted his teeth. “It’s stupid and embarrassing. I’m not talking about it.” It was a terrible feeling, having every eye in their small circle of friends staring at him in deep concern. 

  
A familiar comforting hand planted down on his shoulder and squeezed gently. “Alright, let’s move on. Keith doesn’t have to share if he doesn’t want to.” Keith looked to his right and smiled in silent thanks, his heart fluttering at Shiro’s smile.  _ God you have no idea how much I want to,  _ Keith thought to himself as Shiro looked back to the group. 

“My resolution was to open up my gym! It’s been going great and I’m really looking forward to everything the new year is gonna bring!” Several congratulations petered out around the group as everyone took sips of their drinks. “How about you, Allura?” Shiro’s hand stayed on his shoulder as he struggled hard to listen to the rest of his friend’s successes and failures from the year. 

As everyone finished and broke off into smaller groups again, Hunk grabbed Keith’s arm and tugged him into the kitchen. “I swear if you don’t tell him by midnight, I’m throwing you in the pool for real. Then you get to explain why you’re wet.” He whispered harshly. 

Keith tossed his hands up in frustration. “I’ve been trying  _ all night,  _ no one will give us 30 seconds in a room together without interrupting.” 

Hunk’s eyebrows shot up. “Wow, I thought I was gonna have to like, convince you that he likes you. Again.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “I just… have to tell him  _ alone.”  _ He crossed his arms over his chest. 

“Well, he’s with Pidge in the living room.” Hunk gestured with his head. “Go ask if he’ll talk outside or something.” 

Keith pulled his phone out to check the time: less than 10 minutes until midnight. He wasn’t actually worried that Hunk would throw him into the pool, but the added pressure of the clock ticking down didn’t help his racing pulse. 

He took a deep breath and nodded towards Hunk. “Wish me luck.” 

Hunk slapped him on the back for good luck as Keith walked away, stopping in front of Shiro and taking his elbow gently as he spoke with Pidge. “Can I talk to you for a minute? Alone?” Keith asked quietly. 

“Yeah, sure.” Shiro turned and offered Pidge an apologetic smile, but she waved her hands at him to go. “Kitchen?”

Keith licked his lips and shook his head. “Let's go outside.” He suggested instead. 

Shiro nodded and followed him through the dining room and out the back door to the small patio. “Is everything ok?” He asked anxiously. 

Taking a deep breath, Keith shut the door behind them. “No. It's not.” He started, eyes fixed on Shiro's shoes. “I have so much to say I don't even know how to start.” He murmured. 

The familiar warm weight of Shiro's hands settled on his shoulders. “Take your time, Keith. We can stay out here as long as you need to.” Shiro assured calmly. 

Keith looked back up at him and suddenly felt dizzy with the surge of emotion from gazing into his eyes. “Everything I said on Christmas… about you being family,” he started, stumbling over the words at first, “you are family, Shiro. But you're more than that, too.” Everything was coming out wrong. His mind screamed the words but his throat wouldn't cooperate. Keith stared at him pleadingly, begging with his eyes for Shiro to understand. 

“Keith, I,” Shiro shook his head just the slightest bit. “I don't-” 

Keith didn't let him finish the sentence. Taking a step forward, he clenched his fists into Shiro's shirt and pulled him down to press their lips together. At first he thought Shiro was trying to push him away as their knees knocked against each other, but Shiro's hands slid up his neck to tangle in his hair as Shiro walked them backwards, shoving him up against the door. 

Their mouths slid against each other roughly, with too much teeth and too much tongue. Even as his lungs burned, Keith felt like he'd finally come up for air after being trapped under miles of icy water. When they finally broke apart, they were both gasping. 

Shiro leaned his forehead against Keith's as he panted, hands still threaded in Keith's hair. “God, finally.” He murmured, leaning down to press a much softer kiss to Keith's lips. 

Keith let his aching fingers relax and wrapped his arms around Shiro's waist. Sliding his hands up under the hem of his t-shirt, he pulled Shiro’s body closer to him. He sighed into the kiss and leaned his head back against the door when they both needed to breathe again. 

“What do you mean finally?” Keith asked with a laugh. 

“I've been waiting for that since February.” Shiro teased, rubbing his nose against Keith's contentedly. 

Keith couldn't stop himself from tilting his head and finding Shiro's mouth again. He'd always imagined that his lips would be a little chapped, but they slid against Keith's like silk. “Why didn't you say anything?” 

Shiro leaned back and stared at him. “I wasn’t sure if you were ready… but also, I almost kissed you on St. Patrick’s day! And I’m pretty sure we made out on Halloween.” He protested with a laugh. 

Keith shook his head. “I kissed you first on Halloween! And you  _ did  _ kiss me on St. Patrick’s day. It was super weird.”

Grimacing, Shiro ducked his head. “It was really weird, wasn't it?” He mumbled. “Yeah, definitely glad I stopped drinking.” His face flushed. 

“It’s fine, it was,” Keith felt his own face heating up to match Shiro’s, “it was kind of cute, really.” 

Shiro’s shy smile grew into a broad grin. “Cute?” He raised an eyebrow. 

Keith rolled his eyes. “Shut up.” He grumbled. “It was way better than the first time you kissed me, at least.” 

Shiro wrinkled his nose and cringed. “I still can’t believe I ruined your first kiss like that. I’m so sorry.” 

Keith licked his lips and smiled up at him. “You’re doing a pretty good job of making it up to me.” He tilted his chin forward.

“Yeah?” Shiro asked, not waiting for an answer before granting Keith’s wordless request. 

Keith’s eyes slid closed as he savored the feeling of Shiro pressed against him, this kiss soft and slow. “Definitely,” he whispered as they pulled apart again. 

They both jumped a little at the  _ bang  _ as fireworks lit up the night sky behind Shiro. 

“Guess it's midnight.” Shiro whispered, lightly pressing their lips together again. 

“Yeah, happy new year.” Keith replied just as quietly, already leaning up for another kiss. 

Shiro pulled his head back and smiled. “So, who's gonna say it first?”

Keith's eyebrows shot up nearly to his hairline. “Well I kissed you first, you should.” 

Shiro shook his head. “Tonight maybe, but I kissed you first forever ago!” He teased playfully, nudging their noses together again.   

“Yeah but you didn't  _ know  _ you did until like 6 months ago!” Keith argued.

Shiro bit his lower lip. “So you should be extra ready, then.” Keith opened his mouth to protest, but Shiro distracted him by brushing his knuckles across Keith’s cheek. “Besides, I’ve been waiting for you to be ready for a while.” He finished quietly, cupping Keith’s jaw.

“Fine,” Keith huffed, taking a deep breath. He fidgeted for a moment. “This is actually a lot scarier than I thought it would be.” He said with an uncomfortable chuckle. 

“I promise I’ll say it back, if that helps.” Shiro assured, smiling softly.

Keith brought a hand up to cover Shiro’s where it held his face and nodded. “I love you,” 

Shiro paused, closing his eyes for a moment to savor the words. “I love you, too.” He replied, leaning in to kiss Keith again. At first it was just a gentle brush of lips, but Keith couldn’t help threading his fingers into Shiro’s hair and pulling him close again. 

Shiro’s phone buzzed and pulled away with a frown at the interruption. Glancing at the screen, he dragged his hand down his face and slid his phone back into his pocket. 

“Matt wants to remind us that the door is, in fact, see-through.” 

Keith’s eyes widened and he went to turn his head, but Shiro’s hands caught his cheeks. “You really don’t wanna look.” He said with a cringe. 

Keith hesitated for a moment before turning around anyway. “I… should have listened to you.” 

Pidge and Hunk were standing with their faces pressed up against the glass, the rest of the group waving and cheering from behind them. He squinted and tilted his head closer to see what was on the screen of her phone as she pointed to it with a smug grin. It was a picture of everyone posed artfully around the door, drinks in hand, as Shiro had pinned Keith up against the other side kissing him. 

“Yeah, I deserve this,” he turned toward Shiro, face pale. “Do you wanna… not deal with that tonight?” He asked pleadingly. 

Shiro chuckled and reached for his hand. “Yeah, let’s head to my place. We can deal with all of that in the morning.” He agreed, threading their fingers together. 

They walked around the side of the house to avoid the mockery and endless well wishes they knew their friends would subject them to. Keith didn’t want to let go as they approached Shiro’s car. Shiro squeezed his hand and pulled him into another soft kiss before letting go. 

“Hey,” he whispered against Keith’s lips. 

Keith raised an eyebrow up at him. “Yeah?” 

“I love you,” Shiro murmured, kissing him again. 

Keith smiled as they leaned away from each other. He couldn't wait to see what the new year would bring.  “I love you, too.”   
  



End file.
